The Crimson Legend
by pokeviridian9916
Summary: Everyone knows the tale of the mysterious Red, the champion from Pallet Town. However, what about his origins? How did he get there in the first place? Who propelled him to become what he is now? Join Red in his adventure throughout the Kanto Region and watch as he grows from just a beginning trainer to the youngest Pokemon Master ever. Burningleafshipping inside. Chapter 8 up!
1. The Beginning of all

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own Pokémon! Pokémon and all its associated trademarks belong to Gamefreak, Nintendo and The Pokemon Company. Cover isn't mine either, rights belong to its author.

* * *

Welcome to The Crimson Legend!

This story is a novelization of Pokémon Red and Blue versions, with many elements from Yellow and FireRed and LeafGreen versions. This is my first story or fanfic, and I hope you enjoy it. Reviews and criticism of any kind (grammar, ideas, etc.) will be appreciated! English is not my primary language so if there are errors I'd gladly fix them. I will try to update the story as much as possible, though there may be some things that get in the way (such as school). I won't ever abandon this story, even if I haven't updated in a while. This was something that I wanted to do for quite some time. So rest assured, whenever I have free time I will work on this. As Dawn says, "No need to worry!"

This will follow the adventures of Red, Blue and Leaf as they journey throughout the Kanto region. Main pairing is RedxLeaf (Burningleafshipping) but at first it will be a one-sided BluexLeaf (Oldrivalshipping) on Leaf's part. The story will not focus that much on romance, but mainly on adventure and humorous, spontaneous things that happen during their journey.

This story is the first of some others that I also have planned, but will be released later on. Something like this: (the = symbol means that it's the same timeline)

Crimson Legend (Kanto) = Jade Ascension (Hoenn)

Golden Dawn (Johto) = Platinum Dusk (Sinnoh)

Black Truth, White Ideals (Unova, First Black and White games)

Unwavering Hearts (Kalos) = Black Truth, White Ideals: 2 (Unova, Second Black and White games)

Clash of Legends (Final Story)

So that's how it is. After each main story ends, there will be some drabbles or mini stories of events that happen after, before or in between the main storyline of each story. Now, let's meet the leading characters!

 **Red:** Our main protagonist. A curious boy that is quiet and somewhat introverted. He is greatly intelligent and prefers to keep silence in most matters, only speaking when necessary. In truth, he prefers to listen to others first which sometimes leads to people thinking that he is mute. He is near-sighted and needs to wear glasses, but doesn't like wearing them. Red doesn't have any tolerance for people that abuse others, no matter if they're people or Pokemon. Almost always a loner, our hero will learn that not only by doing things yourself but by also cooperating with others, will lead you to greater heights. His dream is to become the Kanto League Champion and thus, the best trainer ever. He adores his mother, which is basically the only person he can call family after his father went on a journey and never came back. He is secretly in love with his best friend Leaf ever since they were kids. Age: 12

 **Blue Oak:** Red's rival and deuteragonist. He has a cocky, arrogant personality and hates being compared or referenced with his grandfather, the famous Professor Oak. Blue wants to be the Kanto Pokemon League Champion, just as Red. He was his best friend when they were young and he, Red and Leaf were inseparable back then. But Blue began to change and somewhat drift off from his old friends. He is somewhat unfriendly to new people he meets, and always uses the phrase "smell ya later" when he bids goodbye to other people. Easily irritated or annoyed when he doesn't get his way, which occurs rarely do to his ingeniuty and luck. Not always having your way is sometimes good for you, though. Life continuously has little surprises in store. As the saying goes, "Learning by experience often is painful- and the more it hurts, the more you learn." Age: 12

 **Leaf Green:** Our female protagonist. Cheerful, peppy, adventurous, and somewhat of a gossip. Leaf always likes to amuse herself and have a good time with her friends. She is a beautiful girl, who is big hearted and dependable. Her dream is to travel around the Kanto Region, discovering new places and experiences as she does so. Leaf is secretly in love with Blue, but he doesn't think of his friend as more than a sister and is easily annoyed by her antics, much to her dismay. She has been Red's best friend ever since they were able to walk and talk properly and the two know each other like the back of their hand. However, will she be able to react to her own surroundings, and discover what love is? Age: 11

So, without further ado, let's go!

* * *

 _Pallet Town, Kanto_

 _11 a.m_

We find ourselves in the hills of Pallet Town. They provide an amazing view, which combined with the ocean and vegetation surrounding them easily made Pallet one of the most beautiful places in the region. Truly, a tranquil setting of peace and purity.

"So, would you like to know the history of a good friend of mine…?" asked a boy around the age of 13. He had green eyes and spiky brown hair and was wearing a black sweater and light brown pants. You could tell by his voice that he clearly wasn't excited about this. Next to him was a large blue, turtle-like Pokemon. It sweatdropped at its trainer's antics.

"Blastoise..."

"What the heck Blue!? You could at least try you know?" demanded a girl next to him. She looked around the age of 12 and was wearing a light blue tank top, a red mini skirt and a white hat with a red stripe in the middle that had a pokeball logo in between. She had brown hair, blue eyes and a yellow backpack swung over her shoulder. She looked irritated by the boy's attitude, even though she herself knew why he was like that. She was sitting on top of a big green Pokemon that had a beautiful, enormous flower. The flower was surrounded by numerous fronds.

"You agree with me, right Venusaur?" asked the girl to the Pokemon in which she was sitting on. To her dismay however, it was dozing off quite peacefully. The girl laughed awkwardly at the situation. The boy next to her just sighed.

"Whatever Leaf, I'm out. What the-" said the boy, now identified as Blue. Just as he was about to leave another boy crept behind him and poked him. He was scared senseless, so much that he tripped and fell to the ground, rolling over the hill. This earned him the laughter of a crowd of people who were around, while others just sweatdropped.

The boy behind him only smirked in response. He had profound red eyes and black hair. He was wearing a black shirt, a red jacket with white stripes in the middle, a red cap that was white in the center with a pokeball logo and blue jeans. A Pikachu was in his shoulder, laughing at its trainer's antics.

"Darling, you're here!" happily exclaimed the girl, now known as Leaf. She tackled the boy with an enormous hug; so much that they too rolled over the hill and ended up hitting Blue like a steamroller.

"WHAT THE HELL RED!? Can't you leave me alone? I'm tired of you two screwing me all over with your lovey-dovey things! Seriously, this is the fifth time in this month! Can't the two of you be more damn careful!?" angrily yelled Blue at the couple, who only sweatdropped in response.

Yeah... he was the same reason they were all together: the infamous Red of Pallet Town, current and youngest Kanto Pokémon League Champion. What was celebrated today you ask? Today was the day he departed on a training journey to Mount Silver, and quite possibly the last one his friends and family will see him in a long time. So, his family and oh-ever-so-thoughtful-friends decided that they should organize a get together with some of the neighboring kids, who were yet to go on a journey and thought of Red, Blue and Leaf as their idols. The three of them related their journey and experiences to the future trainers. Meanwhile...

"BLUE OAK, That isn't the way you should talk when there are kids around!" Professor Oak and Daisy yelled back at him at the same time. The younger one of the Oaks rolled his eyes in response. Red and Leaf could be seen smirking at the sight of their longtime friend being disciplined by his grandfather and sister.

"But GRAMPS! DAISY! They were the ones who started it!" Blue retorted, annoyed. Not that it was his fault but rather Red's and Leaf's. More specifically Red. But as fate would have it, lady luck wasn't on his side this time.

"No buts young man!" yelled the professor once more. Blue only groaned and decided to shut up for the moment being. He wasn't the only one though...

"Leaf and Red, I think that is enough." said a woman around 30 years old, who joined the scene when Red "surprised" Blue. She had precious blue hair and the same eye color as Red. She was wearing a red sweater and brown pants.

"But Miss…!" pouted Leaf, who was unwilling to release Red from her grip. Not that the boy cared as he truly enjoyed her "lovey-dovey" ways. He was embarrassed by both of them.

"Mom..."

"No buts, you two. That is enough." commanded the miss, albeit more rectifying this time. When Leaf finally released her grip on Red the boy's mom then proceeded to do the same thing that she was doing, much to the young girl's dismay. Her grip was even stronger than Leaf's.

"Darling... I can't believe you're all grown up now and that I won't be able to see you in a long time...!" said Red's mom, shedding some tears from her eyes. Red was getting "the feels" as one would call it, as he remembered the first day of his journey and the tears that his mother shed.

"HEY! Not fair!" yelled Leaf, who was releasing smoke from her ears, annoyed that her boyfriend's mother got the upper hand. "But awww... don't count me out just yet!"

Leaf then proceeded to embrace the two of them, being joined by Pikachu as the yellow mouse exclaimed its name in happiness.

After Blue cooled off from Leaf's and Red's assault, he started "narrating" once more.

"So, as I was saying…" Blue recapitulated. "Would you like to know the history of this jerk who goes by the name of Red? And the fabulous me of course, why thank you. If you want my autograph get in line."

Blue smirked at Red, who only rolled his eyes and glared at him. Leaf, in turn, only facepalmed.

"Yay! We want to know all about it!" the kids yelled at the same time happily. Some even got in line to get Blue's autograph, much to the couple's dismay.

"Hehe! Okay then… Let's go!"

* * *

 _Pallet Town, Kanto. One year ago_

 _9 A.M_

We find ourselves in a medium sized house, almost at the outskirts of Pallet Town. In there lie a boy and his mother, who were now saying their respective goodbyes. Today was the day the young boy left on a journey, like most of the other kids around his age.

"…Right. All boys leave home someday." said his mother, with much tears on her face. Saying goodbye to your only son was hard, and even more if you have been very close and attached to each other.

"Professor Oak, next door, is looking for you. You should go there as fast as possible. It's not good leaving people waiting for you."

Red only nodded, and checked his things one last time. He nodded again to his mother, signaling this was the time to leave.

"I will miss you a lot honey. Please stay safe and no matter what, never give up and continue on your path." said Red's mother, tears on both their faces. She embraced him one last time. After a bit, they released their grip on each other and Red was heading for the door. But, suddenly he stopped and turned to face his mother, taking one last glance at her.

"I will, Mom. I'll make you proud and accomplish my dreams."

His mom nodded at him and smiled. Before he left however...

"And remember to change your underwear or I'll tell Leaf to do it for you!" said Red's mom. Again, Red nodded but this time he blushed furiously, so much that his face was the same color as his name. She and a certain Pokemon were the only one who knew of his crush on his friend Leaf, but not because they asked him; they discovered it on their own.

So now, he was on his way to Professor Oak's house. Still blushing, he rang the bell and was greeted by Daisy, the professor's granddaughter. She was a young and pretty girl, who was also very gentle and had an elegant poise. She liked to drink tea in the afternoons and was also a very skilled Pokémon Groomer.

"Hi Red! … Why is your face red? Do you have fever or anything like that?" asked Daisy, to which Red only shook his head as fast as he could, trying to avoid the topic.

"Right… Well how are you today? So this is the day you and my brother go out in a journey huh? Good luck and never give up!"

Red nodded to her and smiled in response.

"Blue and Grandpa are in the lab right now, if you are looking for them."

Red once again nodded, and bowed to her as thanks. After walking a bit he was at the door of the lab. Opening it, he only finds Blue and some aides, who were busy working.

"What is it Red? Gramps isn't around." Blue said cuttingly, somewhat surprised to see Red there. Red only nodded and went outside again. However, curiosity got the best of him and he went to a trail of grass. The grass itself wasn't dangerous, but the wild Pokémon out there were if you didn't have one of your own, even if they were fairly weak. But just as he was going to make a first step into the grass, he suddenly heard a voice calling out to him.

"STOP RIGHT THERE! Just where do you think you're going?!" asked an old man with brown eyes and gray and brown hair. He was wearing a lab coat along with his usual clothes. Red instantly recognized the person as Professor Oak.

"Red, you know that wild Pokémon live out there! Just what were you thinking!? What if one of those Rattata would have bitten you? You would have died from rabies!"

Red only smirked and rolled his eyes. In truth, he wasn't going anything far and was going to visit a certain yellow electrical mouse, who he was friends with since a very long time. Red met Pikachu at just age 8 and since that shocking (yeah, Pikachu shot a Thundershock at Red back then) moment when the two met, an instant friendship formed between the two. Pikachu would occasionally visit Red at his house and would stay there with him and his mom, the three of them occasionally doing things together. However, Pikachu couldn't stay with Red because he was still too little, and didn't have his trainer license, or so his mom said. However, as today was the day, he decided to take his little yellow friend with him on his journey.

Meanwhile, the professor is still lecturing Red.

"… And that's why you shouldn't go out there. Wait! I know! Come with me to my lab and I'll give you a Pokémon! I almost forgot the reason why I called you over. Blue and Leaf are also going to get one too! Come on, let's go."

And so, Red found himself going back to the professor's lab once more. There, he again found Blue, who looked like he was going to pass out after waiting so much.

"Took you long enough old man! Now give me my Pokémon and I'm out of here!"

"Hush now, young man. Who said you are going first anyway!? We have to wait for Leaf too." Professor Oak replied, angry at his grandson.

Blue grew even more annoyed now, and he couldn't resist waiting even more. So Blue figured he would do something he hasn't done in a long time, ever since he was a little boy; Having an arm wrestling competition with his grandfather. As weird as it may seem, but the Oaks were anything but ordinary. Professor Oak himself had a fairly strong physique despite his age. Apparently, no one knew why...

"GRAMPS! I challenge you to an arm wrestling competition! You will lose this time!"

"No, not right now Blue. Can't you see I'm busy here…" stated Professor Oak, annoyed with his grandson's childish attitude.

"But gramps...!" pouted Blue, not giving up so easily.

"Okay… But this will be the last time I do this with you in the lab." said Professor Oak sighing.

"Fine!" stated Blue, happy that his request was granted.

* * *

10 minutes later…

We find ourselves in a mess of a lab, with Professor Oak sitting on top of a hurt and crying Blue's back muttering something about indiscipline, childs these days, and "that'll show you not to mess with me, young man." and a wild Red watching battle videos and strategies on Poketube on one of the computers, completely indifferent to what had happened.

"What the hell is going on here!?" asked (more like yelled) a new voice. They all turned to face a confused and surprised Leaf. Needless to say, Red was stunned by her as she wore the new outfit she which was a lot different from her usual black dress.

"OH MY ARCEUS! Blue, are you okay?" She asked again, running to him after Professor Oak left the boy, who was completely battered up.

"Yeah, I think I am. Thanks." replied the professor's grandson, albeit sarcastically.

"Well now that you three are here, I think it's time for me to explain. You see-" the professor was suddenly interrupted by Blue, again.

"Gramps, just hand out the Pokémon."

"Blue, will you stay quiet for a moment!? Or do you want me to beat you down again just like I did right now?" said Professor Oak. This time Blue kept his mouth shut and listened to his grandfather.

"Okay… Come here you three. Red? Red? RED? RED!? ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME?" asked the professor, clearly annoyed.

"… Red?"

They slowly got to the computer that our protagonist was using, and to their surprise, saw him engulfed in flames, writing non-coherent things on the comments section of Poketube to others, who were also doing the same thing. Internet trolling exists in the Pokemon world too!

"Well… THIS could take a while" Leaf laughed, amusing herself with the scene. Both of the Oaks just sighed in response.

* * *

20 minutes later…

We find a terribly burned out Red slowly walking to the Professor, Blue and Leaf.

"Well, how did it go, Mr.-I-Know-It-All-Internet-Troll?" spoke Leaf, in a mocking tone. Red didn't even reply to her. Looks like it didn't go so well...

"I figured as much." said Blue, chuckling.

They were interrupted by an even more annoyed than ever Professor Oak, who proceeded to clear his throat to gain their attention.

"Well... now that that's out of the way, let me explain. Here are 3 pokeballs. Each contains a Pokémon that's very rare and unique. You will rarely find another of them out of here. They are Bulbasaur, the Seed Pokémon, Charmander, the Lizard Pokémon and Squirtle, the Tiny Turtle Pokémon."

All three of them nodded determinedly at the professor, excited to meet their new partner.

"You can go first Red." Professor Oak said, smiling to the boy. Just as he said this however, Blue interrupted him.

"Gramps! What about me!?"

The professor's grandson was clearly annoyed by his rival having the first pick, but his grandfather managed to calm him down by giving him a warning.

"Blue, I am seriously considering beating you again. Don't poke the Combee's nest if you know what's good for you..."

Blue slowly backed up from him in fear and stayed silent.

"Good boy. Now Red, the choice is yours." Professor Oak said, smiling to the boy.

"Whatever." said Blue, gritting his teeth. "Red can go first. I don't need to be greedy like him. I'm mature!"

Red rolled his eyes in response. He then intently stared at each of the three Pokeballs, thinking for a bit, before deciding on which one. Like he had planned before, he chose the middle one, and let out the Pokémon inside of it, holding it within his arms.

"Ah! I see. So you picked Charmander. You should raise it patiently."

After him, Leaf picked the first pokeball on the table and released the Pokemon inside it, taking it in the same position as Red.

"So, Bulbasaur is your choice, eh Leaf? It is fairly easy to raise." the Professor stated, while Leaf only nodded and smiled at him in response. That left Blue with the third Pokeball. Once he took it, he released Squirtle from it. Not that he didn't want the Tiny Turtle Pokemon as Squirtle was, from the beggining, the starter that the professor's grandson desired.

"Heh! My Pokémon is soooo much cooler than yours, Red!" Blue gloated, looking down at his rival. Red only rolled his eyes in response.

After some words of wisdom from Professor Oak, Red proceeded to leave, as he didn't have any interest in watching Leaf trying to shyly speak with Blue. He knew since a long time that she was in love with him and it was painful, especially when it was fairly obvious that Blue didn't have any interest in her. As fate would have it, Red was the only one she could come to when Blue was annoyed by her advances or simply treated her like a sister, shrugging or saying "whatever" to what she had to say. He knew she wished to be even more than that. Back to the reality however, just as Red was going out of the lab he heard his rival's voice...

"Red! I challenge you to a Pokémon battle!"

* * *

And that's it, for now. I hope you enjoyed the first chapter!

Just a heads-up, Red's outfit is the same one he wears in the Gen 1 and 2 games. Later, he will get the one he wears in the Gen 3 and Gen 4 games. For Leaf, she has the same outfit as in FRLG, just without the hat. She will have it later (and it will play a somewhat important role). For Blue, he currently has the same one as in the Gen 1 and Gen 2 games, and will later have the one in Gen 3, just as Red.


	2. Viridian Trouble

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own Pokémon! Pokémon and all its associated trademarks belong to Gamefreak and Nintendo. Cover isn't mine either, rights belong to its author.

* * *

 ** _Last time on The Crimson Legend…_**

 _Our hero, Red, prepared to go out there and begin exploring the Kanto region. But one thing led to another, and he ended up going to the outskirts of Pallet, where he encountered Professor Oak and accompanied him to his lab to get a starter Pokémon. However, while waiting for Leaf, Blue and Professor Oak got into an arm wrestling competition which ended with Blue getting his arse handed to him, a tremendously messy lab and an indifferent Red watching battle videos and new strategies on Poketube. A bewildered Leaf arrived soon after, but just when you thought things are going smoothly, Red got into his "flaming" mode and started to post incoherent things in the comments section of Poketube, which resulted in him having to need a Burn Heal after some others just plainly destroyed him there. Eventually, things started to go smoothly and Red picked Charmander as his starter Pokémon, just like Leaf picked Bulbasaur and Blue chose Squirtle. However, just as Red was getting to the lab's door, ready to go into new adventures…_

"Red! I challenge you to a Pokémon Battle!"

Our hero heard Blue's voice calling out to him, demanding a challenge. Eager and curious to experience his first battle, he tilted his cap downwards, accepting the challenge. He quickly released Charmander from its Pokeball.

"Alright then! Let's go Squirtle!" said Blue, who was also eager to see how well his starter fared in battle.

"Squirt! Squirtle!" happily exclaimed the tiny turtle, nodding to its trainer.

"Char…" said Red's starter, looking crestfallen.

While Squirtle looked ready to go, Charmander was the opposite. It quite possibly didn't feel that much comfortable with his new trainer or with battles. Red noticed this and approached the fire lizard, crouching. Charmander looked at its trainer's eyes curiously.

"It will be okay. I trust in you." Red said to his starter Pokemon, smiling at it.

Even though the boy seemed somewhat cold at first, the fire lizard now noticed the passion the boy had. A look of confidence. Almost instantly, Charmander knew that this wasn't any normal kid. It was an odd yet comforting feeling. Having its confidence boosted, it turned to face Squirtle. But just as it was going to start…

"FOR ARCEUS'S SAKE BLUE! So pushy as always! I went to the bathroom just for 2 minutes and I couldn't even finish my own business when I heard you challenging Red to a battle! Can't you even stay quiet for a minute!?"

Professor Oak was so furious that he steamed smoke from his ears. But, he couldn't really blame the boy, as he was also like that when he was his age.

"No can do Gramps! I'll beat Red and prove to you just how strong and determined I am to become the strongest trainer in the world!" stated Blue, very enthusiastically. Professor Oak sighed.

"… Just don't break anything or make the lab an even bigger mess than it is already. That goes for you too Red, even though I know that you aren't like him." Professor Oak replied, giving up to Blue's request. Both boys nodded at him in response.

Meanwhile, Leaf was looking at the scene expectantly, cheering for both sides.

"Hey Bulbasaur, let's check out this battle and see if we can learn something new by watching them!"

Bulbasaur replied with a simple but happy "Bulba!"

"Okay, I don't want any low kicks, high kicks, chairs to the head, spiting, swearing and/or outside help, OK?" An aide, who was refereeing the battle, stated. Professor Oak, Leaf and Red sweatdropped, while Blue and the other aides rolled their eyes. "Hey! It was a joke you know, a joke? Hahaha! Ha… Well, whatever. Battle Begin!"

"Let's go Red!" said Blue, now ready to go after dealing with the professor. All people in the lab turned to watch the oncoming battle. "Squirtle, use Hydro Pump! Finish this quickly."

"… Squirt."

Squirtle could only look at its trainer in shame as if he were a complete idiot. Red only rolled his eyes while Leaf sweatdropped. Professor Oak facepalmed, then exploded.

"BLUE! You IDIOT! Squirtle is too young and inexperienced to learn that move! How could you just forget that! And after all those lessons I taught you about Pokémon moves and all there is to know about them! How could you just forget!?" yelled Professor Oak, now furious with Blue.

"Sheesh Gramps calm down! It's not too much of a big deal isn't it?" Blue retorted. Unfortunately that was the last straw needed, as Professor Oak totally lost control at his efforts going to waste. Red, Leaf and the aides slowly moved away from the scene.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN IT'S NOT A BIG DEAL BLUE OAK! I COULD HAVE GONE TO HOENN OR KALOS FOR A VACATION FOR ARCEUS'S SAKE BUT INSTEAD I STAYED HERE AND TAUGHT YOU ALL OF THE THINGS YOU COULD LEARN YET YOU FORGET!?" again yelled Professor Oak at the top of his lungs, scaring everyone in the lab.

* * *

After 5 more minutes of yelling and lecturing, Professor Oak managed to calm down.

"S-so w-what moves does S-Squirtle have G-gramps? Asked Blue, terrified of his grandfather and of the consequences that could happen if he were to anger him even more.

"Tackle… and Tail Whip…" stated Professor Oak panting, tired of yelling at his grandson.

"O-okay then. Squirtle, use Tackle!"

"Dodge, then Scratch."

The Tiny Turtle Pokémon lunged at Charmander, but the fire lizard dodged the attack at just the last moment and scratched Squirtle in its shell. The Tiny Turtle didn't seem to have been damaged a lot by that.

"Inflicting damage on the foe is the key to any battle." said the Professor, as a matter of fact.

"You don't say, Gramps!?" chirped Blue, earning himself a glare from his grandfather. Blue gulped in fear and instead focused in the battle at hand.

"Scratch." commanded Red again, only to be interrupted by Blue.

"Squirtle, dodge, then use Tackle!"

This time Squirtle could land a hit on Charmander, and the fire lizard was flung to the wall due to the attack's strength. Charmander quickly got up and glared at Squirtle. Blue's starter just grinned at it. Like trainer, like Pokemon.

"Squirtle, use Tackle again!"

Just as Squirtle was nearing its target, Red used the opportunity to use a different attack.

"Growl."

Just as Squirtle was nearing Charmander once more, the fire lizard Pokémon shot a tremendous growl from its mouth, somehow distorting the air. Even some of the aides and Leaf had to put their hands on their ears, as the screeching sound was painful for them.

"Lowering the foe's stats will put you at an advantage." affirmed Professor Oak.

"Arrghh! Squirtle, use Tackle again!" yelled Blue, whose ears also hurt from Charmander's Growl. Squirtle could not concentrate that much due to Growl and didn't hit the fire lizard, instead hitting the wall. However, an spontaneous idea brewed in Blue's mind due to this. It was sure to make quite an impact...

"Squirtle, while using Tackle, rotate around the lab and use your legs to propel yourself with the walls!"

Squirtle did as commanded, and its Tackle attack was gaining more speed and power with each time it used the walls as propellers, much like a ball in a pinball game.

"Now, strike Charmander!" commanded Blue again, this time hitting the fire lizard Pokémon at full force and sending it towards the wall again dealing double the damage a normal Tackle would have done, although the effects from Growl still lingered. Professor Oak was surprised that his grandson could manage to think of such a risky but powerful move, while Leaf and the aides looked in awe. However, neither Red nor Charmander were going down without a fight, and the fire lizard slowly got up once more.

"Heh! One more hit of my genius new move and that Charmander of yours is going down Red!" gloated Blue, which was followed by a proud "Squirt, Squirtle!" on Squirtle's part. Both of them were confident that they would win the match.

Red pondered for a bit, and suddenly a light bulb appeared on his head, literally. Red knew exactly how he was going to counter Blue's new strategy.

"Well, if you aren't going to make any move, then we'll go first and finish this! Squirtle, use Tackle in the same way as before!"

Squirtle consistently gained speed and power, lunging itself at Charmander. But just when it was going to land the hit…

"Growl, then after it stops use Scratch as much as you can."

Charmander launched another Growl, this time stronger than before and successfully managed to stop Squirtle on its tracks. The fire lizard scratched at the tiny turtle many times, finishing the attack with a swing of its tail. This made Squirtle bounce back to where one of the computers were, smashing it. And that computer just happened to be the professor's one...

Blue just shrugged after seeing what had happened, while Red and Leaf widened their eyes. Luckily for Blue and Red, the Professor was so into the battle that he didn't realize what had happened.

"Alright, Red. Let's finish this!" Blue exclaimed determinedly. Red nodded at him in response.

"Use Tackle!/Scratch." Both trainers ordered at the same time.

Each Pokémon lunged at the other, resulting in a stalemate. They were evenly matched. After some time, Charmander somehow managed to overcome Squirtle in strength and once again started using Scratch repeatedly. The tiny turtle was flung towards the wall with another swing of Charmander's tail. Squirtle slowly got up, breathing heavily. It looked at Charmander, nodding to the fire lizard before falling to the ground, swirls on its eyes.

"Squirtle is unable to battle! That means the winner is Red!" enthusiastically yelled the aide who was refereeing the battle.

"WHAT? HOW COULD I LOSE!? UNBELIVABLE!" yelled Blue, both angered and surprised that he had lost his first battle. On the other side, Red sighed and smiled to Charmander. He approached the fire lizard and patted its head, thanking it for the good job. Both trainer and Pokemon were feeling at the top of the world right now, right after winning their first battle ever. The lizard Pokémon's fears had now been put to rest, as another close bond had begun that day. Aside from Pikachu, of course, Charizard was the other Pokémon whom with Red had an extremely close friendship, and had always been loyally by his side. Back to the scene we were, however…

"See that Blue? If you just used Tail Whip then Charmander's defenses would have lowered even further and Growl wouldn't have had any effect. But you only focused on brute strength, and thanks to that, you lost." Affirmed the Professor, much to Blue's annoyance as he hated to be lectured, especially by his grandfather. "But, I was impressed by your spontaneous strategy of using the walls to make Squirtle gain more speed. Not bad at all. You just have to train your Pokémon harder, treat them with love and victory shall always be in your grasp." Blue's grandfather continued. The boy himself only nodded, taking the advice half-heartedly.

Meanwhile, the aides congratulated both of the combatants. Leaf did the same, holding both Red and Blue's hands telling them that they were both great. This made Red blush a little, though neither of his friends noticed it. The three went to Professor Oak's side again to bid their farewells. But just as they were all going to go…

"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS, BLUE?!" Asked an extremely furious Professor Oak, seeing his computer in a thousand pieces. Red, Leaf and the aides backed away in fear, while Blue only gulped.

"FIRST YOU COERCED RED TO BATTLE YOU, THEN YOU BREAK MY ONE AND ONLY COMPUTER WHERE ALL OF MY CURRENT RESEARCH IS IN! WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY FOR YOURSELF!?" Blue's grandfather asked, in an extremely angry tone.

"Well, I have 7 words for you old man: Gotta go fast and Smell ya later!"

And with that, Blue recalled Squirtle to its Pokeball, racing for the door. Needless to say, this made his grandfather even madder than he was before. An echoing "BLUEEEE OAAKKKKKK" could be heard in Pallet Town.

"Just what does that boy think he is!? Always making life even harder than it already is for me! And what with those things he says? What does smell ya later even mean!? What, does he want to smell me or something!?" ranted the famous researcher to nobody in specific. Red chuckled and rolled his eyes while Leaf tried to interrupt and defend Blue, only to slightly blush at the smell ya later part, imagining Blue smelling her and telling the girl that her perfume was good.

"Whatever. I'll chase after him and show him what discipline is the hard way."

Professor Oak ran after Blue and went to the first place he thought of: His own house.

Meanwhile in the lab, Red waved his hand at Leaf, who was still thinking of Blue and the things that the professor said.

"Uh hey Red! What is it?" Asked Leaf, realizing that she was spacing out.

"You okay?" Red asked in a slightly worried tone.

"Yeah, its err just the heat! Don't worry! Let's go Red!" replied Leaf blushing a bit, grabbing Red's arm, which in turn made him blush a bit too. After walking a bit, they were at the outskirts of Pallet Town.

"So, you got anything more to do or can we go now?" Leaf asked, curiously looking at her friend.

"Gotta find Pikachu. Maybe he wants to go with me..." Red replied to her, pointing to where some trees were. Leaf nodded at him in response.

Leaf knew about the yellow mouse too, as they were also very friendly with each other. When Pikachu didn't find Red, and was in the town, he always went to Leaf's house. Following them were Bulbasaur and Charmander, who were merrily walking and talking along each other, a bit curious about Pikachu. Eventually they reached the electrical mouse's home. A large tree stood in front of them. Red shook it and in a while came out a groaning and semi asleep Pikachu, who was ready to attack anything that disturbed his sleep. However the attitude it had instantly changed when he saw who the perpetrator was.

"Hey." Red said, looking at Pikachu.

"Pika! Pikachu!" said the electrical mouse, jumping into the boy's hands and giving him a short hug.

"Hey Pikachu, I'm over here too you know?" Leaf asked a bit annoyed, wanting some attention too. Quickly, Pikachu jumped off Red's arms and went to Leaf, who had a death grip on the little Pokémon and pressed it to her chest. Aware of the situation the yellow mouse smirked evilly at Red, and winked at him, making him blush. This earned the yellow mouse one of Red's "death glares".

"Red, are you okay?" asked Leaf, worried about him after seeing his face become increasingly red. He quickly shook his head, making a frown with his face. "Awww you're such a cutie pie Pikachu! Not like the depressed guy over there." Leaf joked, pointing to Red, who only rolled his eyes. Having enough for now, the mischievous Pokémon got off Leaf's arms and instead went to the ground. It noticed Charmander and Bulbasaur.

"Pika?" the yellow mouse asked, pointing to Charmander and Bulbasaur.

"Oh! We forgot to introduce them to you, Pikachu. Those are Bulbasaur, my starter Pokémon and Charmander, which is Red's. Pikachu happily greeted the two, who did the same. After a bit of talking between the three, Leaf made a sound as if she was clearing her throat.

"Err-Hem! Now to the main point. Red!" Leaf said, interrupting the chitchat between the Pokemon.

"Would you like to come with me on my journey?" asked Red to the yellow mouse. After pondering for a bit, the electrical mouse happily agreed and jumped to Red's shoulder. Now with a new team member, the group of five continued their journey to Viridian City, which was their nearest destination. However before they departed, something clicked on Leaf's mind.

"Red…" she called to the black haired boy, who turned to face her. "You know, you really aren't Pikachu's trainer right now" she stated, sweatdropping. "You don't have any pokeballs with you except for Charmander of course, so if a random person throws a Pokeball to Pikachu, he is as good as theirs."

Now realizing that Leaf was right, his eyes widened for a bit.

"I forgot..." Red said, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. Leaf sighed.

"Well come on, what are you waiting for!? Let's go to Viridian City's Pokemart!"

And so, our two heroes hurried to their destination. On their way they had some battles with wild Pokémon, Bulbasaur learning Vine Whip and Charmander learning Ember. They also found a kind man who worked at the Pokemart and gave them a free sample Potion plus the directions to the Pokemart. After 10 minutes of walking and occasionally talking between both trainers and Pokémon (more like nodding in Red's case) they arrived at Viridian City.

"Viridian City, the eternally green paradise." Leaf read aloud, to no one in particular. Red replied to her by nodding. "Well, they are right you know? There is a LOT of vegetation here. Never have I seen so many trees around houses. I don't even remember the last time I was here..." stated Leaf to Red, who nodded again.

Due to Pallet Town's limitations, some people traveled to Viridian City occasionally to buy or sell whatever they needed to. The trip was not that long, but because of the wild Pokémon out there (LEVEL 3 RATATTA AND PIDGEY! BEWARE!) children were not allowed to go out if they didn't have any Pokémon, or for that matter, a trainer's license.

Back to the scene we were however, both our young trainers had committed a mistake. Right now, they were discussing about which way the Pokemart was.

"Red! I just know it's west of the academy, it's not east of it."

"No. It's east. That's what he said."

"No, it's west."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes!"

"No."

"YES!"

"NO."

"YES!"

"NO!"

They continued like that for some time, much to their Pokémon's dismay. Red finally gave in to Leaf's request and they went to the west direction of the Pokémon Academy. But in their way to "the Pokemart" they found themselves quite a precarious situation.

"YOU WILL NOT PASS THEE! I ABSOLUTELY FORBID YOU FROM PASSING! ONLY THE CHOSEN ARE WORTHY!" said an old man to both Leaf and Red, who sweatdropped at the old man's antics.

"Hey mister… Could you please let us pass?" kindly asked Leaf. However, a dirty smile appeared on the old man's face.

"Of course my beautiful flower… How have I longed to see you again…" said the old man trying to reach Leaf's face and put his hand on it.

"I-I d-don't know w-what you're t-talking about m-mister…" said Leaf, blushing at the old man's advances. Suddenly, a dark red aura enveloped both Red and the Pokémon, who were ready to strike the man if Leaf ordered so.

"Everyone, j-just calm down. I think this is a m-misunderstanding." Leaf said, still blushing a little bit.

"Oh Jessica… But I'll show you something that isn't going to calm down baby…" affirmed the old man, reaching for his pants and beginning to undress of them. But just as he was going to begin...

"R-Red… HELP ME! KYAAAAAAA!" Leaf screamed, furiously blushing and putting her hands on her eyes. That was the last straw needed. Red commanded all of the Pokémon to attack the old man. Shocked, whipped and burned, he fell to the ground. Suddenly, they heard a voice.

"OH MY ARCEUS! WHAT HAPPENED!?" asked a woman who looked no older than 25.

"Well... this man is a FREAKING PEDOPHILE, that's what happened!" exclaimed Leaf, who looked extremely agitated and furious.

"Oh Arceus… I'm really really sorry!" The woman said, bowing repeatedly many times. "My grandpa is just plain drunk from yesterday and hasn't had his coffee yet. He may have had confused you with grandma. Some random spiky haired kid just came running fast, took his favorite coffee jar and smashed it to the ground! And to top it off, he just told him: "Oops. Suck it old man! Gotta go fast!" and then he continued running. When I was going to see what had happened, I saw the renowned Professor Oak running after the kid! And to top it off, Grandpa just stood there, whining and rambling about. Again, I'm really really sorry!" apologized the old man's granddaughter.

"Hey, hey it's okay! No worries! You just gotta be more careful with him." Leaf said, while the woman nodded again.

"Can I make it up to you?" asked the old man's granddaughter, with a worried face.

"Do you know where the Pokemart is?" Leaf quickly asked.

The woman nodded to the girl. "Yeah. It's just east of the Pokémon academy."

In response, Red looked at his best friend with a smug "I told you" face. She shook her head, sighing.

"Okay, thanks miss!" Leaf said, bowing to the old man's granddaughter. Red followed suit.

"You're welcome." replied the woman smiling, taking the poor old man with her to the house.

"Well, let's go to the Pokemart. This did not just happen." Leaf said, glaring at Red to make her point clear. He wasn't going to take any of that, however...

"Serves you right." Red stated, chuckling.

"WHAT WAS THAT!?" Leaf asked. Red slowly backed up in fear. Both trainers then continued their way to the Pokemart, with the three Pokémon following closely behind them. After some minutes of walking, they arrived. When they entered, they were greeted almost instantly by a clerk.

"Hey there! Do you come from Pallet Town?" asked the clerk, who looked as if he was new in the job. Red only nodded in response. "Do you know Professor Oak? His order came in. Could you please give it to him?"

Red nodded in response and took the package with him, putting it on his bag.

"Great! Count on us! So… How much for a Pokeball?" asked Leaf, nonchalantly.

"Well… how to break this to you…? We don't have any remaining Pokeballs. Hehe..." The clerk said sweatdropping. Red and Leaf widened their eyes, looking at each other.

"What do you mean you don't have any Pokeballs!?" Leaf asked, annoyed. It seems that today was

"Well, that's that. We have sold out. Our current stock is Zero. None. Nada. Rien. Niente. Now, if you don't have any other questions, you could just leave and wait until we have Pokeballs again."

"And just when is that going to be?" Leaf asked, even more annoyed now.

"Come here both of you, and let me tell you a little secret." the clerk said, motioning for Red and Leaf to come forward.

They did as they were told and approached the clerk. He whispers in their ears.

"I don't know."

He looks at them expectantly. Red and Leaf only sweatdropped at the clerk's antics.

"Sigh… Let's just get out of here and take the package to the Professor…" Leaf said, with a blank face. Red once again, nodded at her

* * *

And, that's it for now! I originally planned to make this chapter longer but thanks to the cliffhanger on the first chapter, I couldn't wait any more. This was my first time writing a battle scene, and I think I did it well. (Right?)

See you next time and take care!


	3. Decisions

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own Pokémon! Pokémon and all its associated trademarks belong to Gamefreak and Nintendo. Cover isn't mine either, rights belong to its author.

* * *

 _ **Last time on The Crimson Legend…**_

 _Red and Blue's first battle ended in a narrow victory for Red after successfully countering Blue's strategy of making Squirtle rotate around the lab while using its Tackle attack, then propel itself using the walls in the lab, gaining more speed and power with each time it did so. However, an angry Professor Oak got even angrier with the consequences of the battle, which ended in destroying his computer. Almost instantly, Blue escaped from the lab, with an extremely furious Professor Oak chasing after him. Meanwhile, Red and Leaf also went out from the lab and to the outskirts of Pallet, where they found their friend Pikachu. Pikachu joined Red on his quest, and after that our two heroes resumed their travel to Viridian City's Pokemart. However, Leaf's bad sense of direction led them to a certain coffee loving old man's way, and things just went downhill from there. They eventually got to the Pokemart, but only to find out that they didn't have any Pokeballs. And that brings us to the current timeline…_

"Arceusdammit! I swear, people are getting more idiotic each day!" frantically yelled Leaf to Red. Both of them were angry by the treatment they got in the Pokemart, but the girl more so than Red. Today was certainly not her best day. "First the thing with the old man, now this! What is wrong with the people there in Viridian!?" Leaf continued ranting to her best friend, who replied to everything she had to say with a nod. Leaf continued like that until she managed to cool off a bit.

"And that's why I'll never go there again. Red? RED!? Are you listening to me!?" angrily asked Leaf, seeing that Red was lost on his thoughts.

"Hello! Earth to Red?" Leaf asked again, this time successfully getting Red out of his trance.

"Sorry. Lost in thought." replied Red to her, chuckling a bit.

"So that means YOU WEREN'T LISTENING TO ME, WERE YOU RED!?" asked (more like yelled) Leaf furiously. Red backed away a bit in fear.

"Of course I was listening." Red claimed, not looking at her in the eye. Leaf wasn't believing in his words.

"Oh really now? What was I saying then?" the girl asked, annoyed.

Red tried his hardest to remember whatever she was saying, but could only come with two things.

"The old man and the Pokemart."

Leaf got even more furious now. "YES, I DID SAY THAT, BUT THAT WASN'T EVERYTHING YOU DUMMY!" Leaf yelled at Red, who was even more scared than before. "Just admit it Reddy, you weren't listening to me."

"I was."

"No, you weren't."

"I was."

"No, you weren't"

"I was."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

"NO!"

"Yes."

"NO!"

"YES!"

"Fine, whatever." Leaf finally gave up, deciding to not continue arguing with him. "What were you thinking of, then?"

"Goals." Red replied to her

"What goals, then?" again asked Leaf to Red.

"I want to challenge the gym leaders on each city, then beat the Pokémon League." Casually replied Red to her, earning himself a nod from her.

"So that's what you wanna do on this journey, huh?" said Leaf, to which Red only nodded. "Well, good luck! But knowing you, you will be able to achieve anything you want to. Trust me! I'll always be by your side." Said Leaf with a big smile, putting her hand on Red's shoulder, making him blush

"Thanks, Leaf."

"Anything for you, Red."

After walking a bit more, in comfortable silence, Red decided to ask Leaf about her own goals as well.

"What about you?" asked Red to her.

"What do you mean?" replied Leaf to him.

"What are your goals?" he asked her once more, in a curious tone. Leaf pondered for a bit before replying.

"I just wanna travel all over Kanto while battling some trainers and meeting new people. You know, the usual things." Leaf said giggling a bit, while Red smiled a little and nodded. "And, you know? Just between you and me, but I hope Blue wants to travel with me! We could be the best team ever!"

Almost immediately Red's smile disappeared, and he nodded slowly, somewhat looking away from her though she didn't notice it.

"Hey, let's get going already! The faster we get to Pallet Town again, the better!" said Leaf again, shaking Red from his thoughts and grabbing his arm, quickening their pace.

After 5 minutes, they finally got to Pallet Town. Pikachu, who was surprisingly silent during the way back, instantly perked up when the familiar town was in sight, letting a cheerful "Pika!" and pointing forward. Leaf and Red could only smile at the little Pokémon. After walking for a bit, they managed to get to the Professor's lab again. As they entered however, they found themselves quite a weird sight, as they found a certain green eyed boy reading a book in total tranquility. Upon closer inspection, he looked like he had some bruises on his face and arms, somehow giving the idea that he tripped or fell while running from the

"Blue?" asked Leaf, with much curiosity. Who was this person and what they did with the old Blue? The boy in question, turned around to face her and Red.

"What is it Leaf? What took you two so long?" asked the boy in a somewhat annoyed tone, letting out a sigh.

"Why are you reading… a book? What happened to you?" replied Leaf, with a worried face.

"Well…"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX FLASHBACK XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Blue's P.O.V

 _"Well, it looks like things just got pretty crazy!"_ I thought to myself. While Red and I were battling each other, Squirtle accidentally broke Gramps's PC with all of his research. He didn't notice it as he was, like me, too much into the battle. Not minding it much, I continued to battle but eventually I lost. Drats! I was sure I was going to win that one. Well, whatever. A loss is but a loss and won't do anything to deter me. So, after Gramps finished lecturing me (as always) for losing, he went to his desk to give us his latest invention or something like that. Thing was called Pokedex if I remember well. But, just as he was going to give it to us, he saw what happened to his computer.

"What is the meaning of this, Blue?" He asked me, angrily. I said my goodbyes to him for the moment being, and stormed off. While I was running for my life, an echoing "BLUEEEEE OAAAAKKKK!" could be heard in the entire town. Like, jeez Gramps! I know that you're mad at me but you don't have to say it like that! So, after running a bit more, I got to my house. I rang the bell frantically, and Daisy opened, a bit surprised at the current setting of events.

"Blue, what did you do now!?" she asked me, clearly annoyed. I just shrugged

"Picked Squirtle. Had battle with Red and accidentally smashed Gramps's PC. Now please give me the town map and I'm out of here!"

Quickly, she looked for the map and gave it to me.

"Just go before he comes." Was all she said. I nodded quickly,

"Thanks" while running to the door. But just before I could go, I told her "And don't give Red one of those maps! Maybe Leaf, but not him!" She just followed me to close the door, letting out a sigh. However, just when she closed it I could see Gramps approaching the house, fuming. Once he spotted me, I cursed under my breath.

"JUST WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING YOUNG MAN!?" He yelled at me, even more furious than before. I just started running again, heading to the outskirts of the town. After a while, I could reach there, panting just a bit. However, Gramps was still on my tail, chasing after me. He didn't look tired. Not even a little bit. So, I decided to head for Viridian City as fast as I could. I always liked it there, I dunno why. Maybe because it was way different from Pallet Town. Back to the real time though, I continued running for a bit and finally got to Viridian City.

"Stop right there Blue! I will chase after you to the ends of the world if it's necessary! You will not escape!" Gramps yelled at me. I only laughed it off.

"Well yeah good luck with that!" I told him, laughing and continued running. However, I didn't see where I was going and bumped into an old man who was in the way, falling to the ground in the process.

"Oww! What the heck!?" I said, looking up. Then I saw him.

"UNTIL I HAVEN'T HAD MY COFFEE YOU WILL NOT PASS! I ABSOLUTELY FORBID YOU FROM PASSING!" He yelled at me, for his "own" reasons. He looked like he was expectantly waiting for his coffee, his jar in hand. But I won't have any of his crap. So, I got up and did what any normal person would have done. I grabbed his jar, then throwed it to the ground, smashing it.

"Oops. Suck it old man. Well, gotta go fast!" I said to him. Almost instantly, a depressed aura surrounded him, and he fell to the ground. A girl almost instantly went to him, but I was too busy running to see what happened next. Gramps almost caught up to me just because of that old man! Well, serves him right. But just when I started running again, I felt a sudden force grab me by my shirt.

"Just where do you think you're going Blue? Hehe…" a voice said, in a somewhat malicious tone. I instantly recognized who the owner of the voice was, and gulped. I turned to face him, slowly. I had never seen Gramps like that. He seemed like a different person altogether. "Thought you could escape me, eh?" he said, still having that tone from before. How could an old man like him run so fast, and catch up to me!? That was one of the biggest unresolved mysteries on the world. "Well now… You're coming with me… I know just the right thing to make you quiet for a while. Hehehe…" he said, with an evil smirk. I didn't like where this was going. Not a little bit.

"W-well errr w-what is it Gramps?" I asked, somewhat scared of what's going to come.

"You're going to school for a bit, Blue. Hehehe…" He replied to me.

"OH NO! ANYTHING BUT SCHOOL! PLEASE GRAMPS!" I said, absolutely terrified. If there was another thing that I hated more than losing, it must be school. I was home schooled, along with Red, Leaf and some other kids. We knew most of the basic things you needed to know to be able to "survive". But I hated school with a passion. 3 years ago I went to Viridian's academy and boy, life wasn't easy for me there. Like, yeah, I enjoyed the popularity a lot. But people over there wouldn't stop pestering me about being the grandson of the worldwide recognized and famous Professor Oak. Always saying things like "Oh wow! He's going to be a professor too!" "Oh my Arceus! We could meet him someday!"

I felt that the treatment I got there, while it wasn't bad, was not because of who I am. But rather due to me being Oak's grandson. Being a professor was the last thing I'll ever planned to do with my life! I eventually grew tired of the same crap all days, and decided to get homeschooled again. Since then, I haven't returned there. Going back to the situation at hand, we walked (more like he grabbed me by my shirt and forced me) a little bit and eventually reached the academy. But to Gramps's dismay, it was closed, at least for now.

"YES!" I exclaimed, irking Gramps somewhat. But he wasn't going home empty handed. He requested a book called "Trainer 101" or something like that. I think I've seen Red reading that thing. Well, it must be good then, if Gramps requested it. At least I won't be entering hell again…

"Read that book. All pages of it." He said, smirking. I widened my eyes when I saw the thing. It was a tremendously big book, that didn't look anything at all to the one Red had.

"What the heck Gramps!? You want me to read all of this today!?" I asked him, clearly annoyed.

"Well, maybe if you had been a little bit more careful… Then this wouldn't have happened, Blue. Serves you right." He replied to me, smug on his face. "Maybe it helps you become better of a trainer, who knows."

I was furious at him, but decided to let it go, for now. And so, with that thing… on my hands, we walked to Pallet Town again, in silence. Eventually we reached the lab, and I started reading the book which, to my surprise, wasn't boring at all. A lot of strategies, Pokémon I had never seen before (and that looked strong as heck) and many other useful things. I swear, the dude or dudette who did this knew what they were doing. Until I saw something terribly out of place in the first page, which I had skipped.

"Trainer 101"

Author: Professor Samuel Oak

"What the hell? He even makes books!?" I though aloud, to no one in particular.

"Hey! I heard that!" said Gramps annoyed. I gulped and didn't say anything in retort, not wanting to irk him even more. "Do you know where Red and Leaf are?" he asked me.

"Beats me." I replied, not having the slightest clue as to where those two where.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX FLASHBACK END XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Normal P.O.V

"Oh… so that's what happened." Said Leaf in a worried tone, to which Blue nodded. "But are you sure you're okay? Leaf asked him, still worried.

"I'm okay Leaf, don't worry."

She only nodded in response. Meanwhile, Red was also curiously looking through the book, which was the special (and longer) edition of the one he had.

"Hey Red, no touching! It's mine!" said Blue a bit annoyed, making Leaf let out a giggle while Red only rolled his eyes. After some more talking between them, eventually the Professor managed to get a report on his computer, which luckily, could be fixed. Red then gave the professor his package.

"Ah! Red, Leaf! Where were you two? I was looking for you" he asked, after receiving the package.

"We went to Viridian City to buy some Pokeballs, as Red and I both need some." Leaf replied to the professor, while Red nodded.

"Really now? How could we not see you? We attracted a lot of attention there." the professor affirmed while glaring somewhat at Blue, making him roll his eyes. Both Leaf and Red sweatdropped. "Could you manage to get some Pokeballs then?"

Red shook his head. "Apparently they didn't have any in stock."

The professor sweatdropped in response. "Well, about that… I was the one who bought nearly all of the remaining Pokeballs. Hehe…"

"..."

Red and Leaf didn't say anything. But, a lightbulb suddenly appeared on Leaf's head.

"You wouldn't mind giving us some Pokeballs, would you Professor?" she asked sweetly. Professor Oak just patted her head and said "Why, of course Leaf. Those were originally for you three and other trainers who should be here tomorrow." Replied Professor Oak.

"Oh..." was all Leaf said, while Red chuckled and Blue continued reading his book.

"Well, let's get to the main topic. While chasing someone…" Professor Oak said, giving Blue another glare. "I also forgot to give you this." He then pulled a red object from a box. Upon closer inspection, it looked like a book or a handheld gaming system. When Professor Oak opened it, Red, Blue and Leaf were marveled by it. It had a screen, which was originally covered, along with some buttons. "This is my latest invention, the Pokédex! It automatically records data on Pokémon you've seen or caught. It's like a high-tech encyclopedia!" Professor Oak enthusiastically affirmed to them. "Red, Blue and Leaf! Take these with you."

Red was the first one to tinker with it, and immediately scanned Charmander with it.

"Charmander, the Lizard Pokémon. From the time it is born, a flame burns at the tip of its tail. Its life would end if the flame were to go out. It has a preference for hot things. When it rains, steam is said to spout from the tip of its tail." Exclaimed the Pokedex again. Red once again pressed the "Info" button. "This Pokemon's gender is Male, and its ability is Blaze. Current moves are Scratch, Ember and Growl."

To say that Red and the others were amazed by the Pokédex was an understatement. Never had they imagined that the little invention could also talk!

"WOAH! THAT THING CAN TALK AND SEE WHAT GENDER, ABILITY AND MOVES A POKEMON HAS GRAMPS!?" asked Blue to his grandfather, sounding like a caveman. Professor Oak only sweatdropped.

"Yes, it does Blue. That's one of it's primary functions." the professor explained, annoyed.

Red caught up pretty quickly to Oak's invention. He always liked tinkering with new things. The same thing could be said about the other two, who also understood quite well and were currently scanning their own Pokémon.

"Bulbasaur, the Seed Pokemon. There is a plant seed on its back right from the day this Pokémon is born. The seed slowly grows larger along with the Pokemon." Leaf then did the same thing as Red, and pushed the "Info" button. "This Pokémon's gender is Male, and its ability is Overgrow. Current moves are Tackle, Growl and Vine Whip."

"Squirtle, the Tiny Turtle Pokemon. After birth, its back swells and hardens into a shell. When it retracts its long neck into its shell, it squirts out water from its mouth with vigorous force." Blue then repeated what Leaf and Red did. "This Pokémon's gender is Male, and its ability is Torrent. Current moves are Tackle and Tail Whip."

"Wow! So cool!" exclaimed Leaf, which was followed by a nod from Red and Blue.

"You can't get detailed data on Pokémon by just seeing them. You must catch them to obtain complete data. So, here are some Pokeballs for each of you." After Professor Oak said this, he gave five Pokeballs to each of our protagonists. Once that got out of the way, Red approached Pikachu with one. However, once he got close to Pikachu, the electrical mouse stood there thinking for a while. Then, it just slammed the ball with its tail, hitting Red in the face.

"Pika! Pikachu!" exclaimed the yellow Pokemon, with an angry look on its face. Those Pokeballs were the same reason why he lived in the outskirts of Pallet and not in Viridian's forest. Pikachu there are pretty rare, and humans who see one instantly catch it, causing them to be in fear of them. Pikachu didn't want to get caught and so, fled to live in another place. The very thought of living on one of those things was repulsive to it.

"Hey, Pikachu! That's not nice!" yelled Leaf at the little Pokemon. However, that didn't deter Pikachu one bit and he continued yelling at Red. Red recovered from the hit and tried to reason with the yellow mouse.

"Please, get in the ball. It's for your own safety."

However, Pikachu didn't obey and once again slammed the ball, this time Red evading it.

"Get in the ball. Now." Commanded Red again, upset with Pikachu.

"Pika!"

"...Now."

"Pika! Pikachu!"

And so, they continued like that for some while until Pikachu began to run around the lab, Red chasing after him.

* * *

5 minutes later….

We see Red and Pikachu still glaring daggers at each other, running, while Leaf, Blue and Professor Oak were eating Popcorn.

"Thundershock him Pikachu! I know you can do it!" yelled Blue at Pikachu. Almost instantly, Pikachu let loose some electricity at Red, culminating with a Thundershock. Red fell to the ground immediately, with Leaf and Professor Oak approaching him fast (Leaf could barely contain her laugh) and Blue almost dying of laughter. Deciding that he had enough, and that sooner or later he would have been thrown into one of those "prisons" by Red, Pikachu shocked him again. This made Red wake up and almost instantly send him what Pikachu, Blue, Leaf and the Professor thought was the scariest glare ever. So much, that Pikachu entered the Pokeball himself and didn't even break free when the "click" sound that Pokeballs emit when a Pokemon is caught, played. Smirking a bit, he released Pikachu from the Pokeball that contained him, and released the mouse Pokemon.

"You don't have to stay on it if you don't want." Was all he said to Pikachu, who nodded reluctantly. "Sorry if I scared you. I was only joking." He said chuckling. Pikachu instantly cheered up and nuzzled against him.

"Please, Red. Don't ever joke like that again…" said Leaf a bit scared. Professor Oak and Blue nodded to her suggestion.

"Sorry."

Red then proceeded to scan Pikachu with the Pokedex.

"Pikachu, the Mouse Pokémon, and the evolved form of Pichu. It has small electric sacs on both its cheeks. If threatened, it looses electric charges from the sacs. When several of these Pokémon gather, their electricity could build and cause lightning storms." Exclaimed the Pokedex. Red pushed the "Info" button on the device once more. "This Pokémon's gender is Male, and its ability is Static." Current moves are Thundershock, Growl and Quick Attack."

"Err-hem!" Professor Oak cleared his throat. "Getting back to where we were, go out there and catch lots of Pokemon! Obtaining data and make a guide on all of the Pokemon that exist… That was my dream! But I'm too old… I can't get the job done.

"But Gramps, you're only forty-"said Blue, but he was interrupted by his grandfather.

"Hush now, Blue! Don't interrupt your elders when they're speaking!" yelled Professor Oak at him, to which Blue only groaned. "As I was saying… I want you three to fulfill my dream for me. Get moving, you three. This is a great undertaking in Pokémon history!"

All three of them smiled at him and nodded. Blue was the one to speak up first.

"Leave it all to me Gramps!" he said, putting his hand on his chest. "Red! Sorry, but you won't be necessary for this. I borrowed a map from sis, so after reading that book and getting the Pokedex, I now know the location of a lot of Pokemon and have a headstart! And I told her to not lend you one! Maybe Leaf, but no you! Hahaha!"

Red only rolled his eyes at him, muttering a somewhat inaudible "whatever."

"So don't bother coming around to my place after this! Alright Red, Leaf, Gramps! Smell ya later!" he said and almost began to storm off, but suddenly Leaf put her hand on his shoulder.

"Hey! Wait up!"

"Yeah? What is it Leaf?" he asked her, surprised.

"Would you mind I travel with you?" Leaf said, with a hopeful expression on her face. However, Blue just shook his head.

"Sorry Leaf, but I don't want anyone holding me down on my journey." He replied to her.

"But I won't be holding you back Blue! Trust me!" she retorted, holding his hands. He shook his head, eyes closed.

"Again, sorry Leaf. But as I said, I don't want anyone holding me up on my path to become the greatest trainer ever! The faster, the better." He replied back at her, putting a somewhat apologetic face.

"Okay… It's fine. Don't worry." She said to him, looking down steadily.

"Well then, smell ya later!"

And with that, he left. When he was out of sight, Professor Oak sighed.

"Arceus… That boy. I don't know who he takes after."

Leaf only nodded, and turned her face sideways, letting out some tears. Travelling with Blue was one of the things she always wanted to do, and he just down right rejected her…

Red however, was clearly aware of what had happened and put his hand on Leaf's shoulder, looking at her expectantly. She slowly turned to face him.

"Leaf." He said, looking directly at her eyes. "Don't be sad. You can come with me."

She looked at him for a little bit, then her sadness quickly changed into happiness, giving him a tremendous hug which he corresponded. After a while, she let go.

"Really, thank you Red." Leaf said, tears on her eyes. He smiled and embraced her in response. However, just as he did so, a shower of clapping could be heard in the lab.

"Bravo Red! Bravo!" yelled Professor Oak, clapping. The aides could also be heard clapping, some even shouting.

"Way to go Red!"

"You're my hero!"

Even Pikachu, Charmander and Bulbasaur (with its vines of course) were clapping at Red's feat. Pikachu of course, was raising an eyebrow and smirked evilly at him. Eventually, Leaf too started clapping, tears on her eyes. To say that Red was embarrassed was an understatement, as his face was even redder than when he got out from his house. He grabbed Leaf's arm and waved his goodbyes, running to the lab's door rapidly with Pikachu, Charmander and Bulbasaur following.

"Hey Red! What was that?" she asked him, curious about the current set of events.

"N-nothing." He replied to her, still blushing.

"Hey! Your face is red! Do you have fever or something?" she asked him, putting her hand on his face. Needless to say, this made him blush even more.

"N-no. I'm fine, L-Leaf." He replied.

"Well, if you say so. So, here's our plan for today. We get to Viridian's Pokemon Center and get something to eat, then, I'll show you a place you need to know. Yes, I know I said I won't ever go back there again, but we don't have any choices. No, I won't tell you where we are going. It's a surprise." She said, in a somewhat commanding tone. Red only sighed and nodded at her. Withdrawing Bulbasaur and Charmander to their Pokeballs, our heroes and Pikachu continued their journey towards Viridian City's Pokemon Center. This was the start of many adventures and new experiences that awaited them…

* * *

And, that's chapter 3! Longest chapter up till now. Red and Leaf now are traveling together! Just what things could that lead to?

As you can (probably) see, I took the Pokedex entries from FireRed and LeafGreen, and merged them together. Many thanks to Bulbapedia for providing everyone such useful little things. They may seem little, but when you use them accordingly, they sure can help you a lot writing stories like this.

Again, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed this chapter!


	4. Solid as a Brock

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own Pokémon! Pokémon and all its associated trademarks belong to Gamefreak and Nintendo. Cover isn't mine either, rights belong to its author.

* * *

 _ **Review corner**_

 _ **QUEENSPELLER67, ARSLOTHES and Guest:**_ First reviews! Thank you! I'm glad that you like the story and find it interesting! Also, now I have 210 views in just 6 days! Plus, 2 followers and 1 fav! Again, thanks all of you! It may not seem a big thing but for a story that just recently started out, it is! I made this chapter much longer than before as thanks! Red and Blue's second battle, Viridian Forest and of course, the Pewter Gym.

* * *

 _ **Last time on The Crimson Legend…**_

 _Leaf and Red went from Viridian to Pallet with Oak's package, during the way occasionally talking of things like their goals for the journey. Eventually they reached Pallet Town again, and found something terribly out of place. Blue. Blue Oak. Yeah the one we all love and hate. Reading a book! Both curious, eventually Leaf asked Blue why he was reading. Blue told her (and Red too) about what happened after he stormed off from the lab. After Blue finished, eventually Professor Oak came into sight as well, Red delivering his package. Turns out the package were most, if not all, Pokeballs in Viridian City's Pokemart! That old geezer. Leaf then sweetly asked him if she and Red could have one, but to her surprise she didn't get only that, but also the Pokedex. The Pokedex was the professor's latest invention, an electronic encyclopedia with data on all of the current Pokémon. Red and Blue also got one. Then, Red tried to catch Pikachu and put it on a pokeball. One thing led to another, but eventually he could._

 _After that, Blue said his goodbyes, but Leaf stopped him and asked if she could journey with him. But, he turned down her offer, insisting on travelling alone. This wasn't the end of the line for Leaf however. Red got the courage to ask her if she could travel with him, and she happily accepted, making Professor Oak, the aides and their Pokémon clap at Red's feat._

 _And that brings us to the current time…_

 _Pallet Town, Kanto_

 _12:35 P.M_

"But aren't you forgetting something?" asked Leaf to the boy next to her. He nodded and smirked. Before going to Viridian City, they decided to pay a visit to Blue's house…

Eventually after some walking they reached his house, and rang the bell. As always, Daisy opened the door with a big smile on her face. "Hi Red, Leaf! I heard that you had a battle against Blue!" she said, pointing to Red, who only nodded in response. "I wish I'd seen that!" stated Daisy again.

"Trust me, you don't. Things got pretty wild after that. Hehe…" said Leaf, to which Daisy replied with

"Yeah, I know…" she said, while sweatdropping.

"Professor Oak also gave us these… The Pokedex." Leaf affirmed, while getting the device out of her pocket and showing it to Daisy.

"Oh wow! I never got to see it closely!" Daisy said while taking the device in her hand.

"But the thing is… He also wants us to complete it. He said he is too old to get the job done." Leaf said, giggling a bit.

The professor's granddaughter only sweatdropped in response.

"I see… Well, I have something that might help you two with that."

She entered the house to find whatever that was. After a minute or so, she came back with two town maps.

"Here, take these town maps with you. They sure will be handy later on." She affirmed, giving the town maps to our heroes.

"Okay, thanks Daisy!" Leaf said, a big grin on her face. Red bowed as thanks.

"You're welcome dear." Daisy said, smiling.

After that, the two of them continued on to Viridian City.

"Red, you're such a meanie!" exclaimed Leaf to him, making Red laugh. In truth, after Blue said to him to not bother coming to his house for a town map, that was the first thing he was going to do. He was just like that.

"I'm not." Stated Red, smirking.

"You are, don't deny it." Said Leaf, giggling a bit.

"I am. Happy?" affirmed Red, rolling his eyes. Leaf just laughed.

"Yes!"

They continued talking (more like nodding and making sounds in Red's case) like that until they finally arrived in Viridian City. On the way to the city, Red caught a Rattata while Leaf caught a Pidgey. They weren't going to keep them in their permanent teams so, they decided that when they arrived at the Pokémon Center, they would send them to Professor Oak. Turns out that the Pokedex wasn't just a project that included a device. Professor Oak had made many actions before completing his latest invention. One of them, was buying a tremendously big amount of land near his laboratory in Pallet Town. Being famous has it's perks, apparently. He turned the land into a ranch, where all of the trainers he entrusted with the Pokedex would have store their Pokémon. Releasing them after having their data was unfair, as was also storing them in the Storage System. So, he thought of that solution. So far, only 3 trainers had a Pokedex. He just couldn't just give it away to all of the trainers that came to him. The device was in its own way, unique. The Professor had made it from highly resistant materials, which could resist most situations that trainers could get to be. Even extreme ones.

Indeed, three years had passed before Professor Oak himself could entrust 2 more trainers with a Pokedex…

* * *

 _Viridian City, Kanto._

 _1:30 PM_

"Whew… At last we're here…" stated Leaf to Red, who nodded to her in response. "First things first. I'M FREAKING STARVING! Let's go to the Pokémon Center's Café and get something to eat!" said (more like yelled) Leaf to her best friend, who nodded quickly as he too was hungry. Walking a bit further, they entered the Pokémon Center and went to the Café area. Leaf ordered some Spaghetti while Red ordered a Hamburger. Both of them were happily eating to their heart's content. Food in Pokémon Centers was excellent, and the best part of it, it wasn't that expensive! They were the perfect spot for traveling trainers, who needed to control their expenses.

Leaving his hamburger by half, Red suddenly stood up.

"Going to the bathroom." He said to Leaf, who nodded in response. Meanwhile, Bulbasaur and Charmander were eating their "Pokémon" food, which was indigestible for humans. Pikachu wasn't eating that because it didn't have any hunger. However, just as Red got out of sight, something caught the attention of the yellow mouse.

Red's meal.

Curiously, the little Pokémon slowly approached it. An indescribable feeling was going through Pikachu's mind. It was as if the hamburger was calling to him. Especially something inside it, a red sauce. Pikachu put its paw on it and tasted it. Oh Arceus! That was something out of this world! Pikachu felt in heaven. The yellow mouse then again took some more of the red thingy with its paw. Leaf was absorbed in her thoughts (Blue and his actions occupying most of them) and so, didn't see Pikachu eating the Ketchup. When she returned to this world, however…

"Pikachu? What are you doing!?" asked Leaf, who saw Pikachu grabbing the ketchup bottle, putting some more in Red's hamburger. Pikachu just let out a happy "Pika!" while continuing on what he was doing. When it finished, it started picking up the ketchup then eating it, by licking it off its paw. Leaf was very surprised by this, as never in her life had she seen a Pokémon that liked human food, much less, Ketchup.

"Wow Pikachu, you sure like Ketchup!" exclaimed Leaf, watching as the little yellow mouse took more and more of the famous red sauce in its hand. "But, when Red sees you… Well that won't be pretty… Hehe…" Leaf said, sweatdropping. Pikachu on the other hand, just shrugged and rolled his eyes, while emitting a simple "Pika." As if on cue, Red had just exited the bathroom. When he approached the table where he and Leaf were, however…

"…"

Red didn't even say a single word. A battle for supremacy over his meal (more like a battle for his dish, as Pikachu just wanted the ketchup and totally ignored the other things inside the hamburger) had begun.

* * *

(Insert vs. Red music here)

Red used Mean Look! Pikachu cannot escape now!

Pikachu used Run Away! However, Pikachu can't escape due to mean look!

Red used Glare! But Red's attack missed!

Pikachu used Copycat! Pikachu used Glare! Red is now paralyzed!

Leaf used Bathroom! Leaf got away safely!

Red used Glare! Pikachu is now paralyzed!

Pikachu used Thundershock! Red evaded the move!

Red used Discipline! It's not very effective…

Pikachu used Thundershock! It's super effective!

Red fainted!

Pikachu gained 0 exp points!

Leaf used Teleport! Leaf teleported to the table!

Leaf used Glare! However, it was blocked by Pikachu's Baby Doll Eyes!

Leaf used Double Slap! Red gained back all of his HP!

Pikachu won!

* * *

There were some spectators to the battle. Most of them were putting their bets on Pikachu. Few of them on Red. Eventually, Pikachu's side won. (Or maybe not?)

"Reddy… Just buy something else…" said Leaf while helping Red stand up. When he stood up firmly, he glared daggers at Pikachu.

"Die." was all Red could manage to muster to the Pokémon. In response, the yellow mouse just stuck out his tongue to him, and continued to eat (or lick, whatever.) more ketchup. Red decided to even things up and gave him "The Glare." Yeah, the same one on chapter 3. Upon seeing it, Pikachu gulped, tossing the ketchup bottle and beginning to cry in fear. Bulbasaur and Charmander widened their eyes. Leaf backed away. All the people who saw it too just gulped, backed away or ran in fear. Eventually, Red stopped and began laughing.

"I was joking." He affirmed to Pikachu and Leaf.

"Red. I told you to never joke like that again. NEVER." Said Leaf to him, annoyed. He immediately apologized.

"Sorry Leaf, Pikachu." He said, with an extremely apologetic face, petting Pikachu. The two just smiled widely, with Pikachu letting out a happy "Chaaa!" and shrugged it off. Red finished his hamburger (without Ketchup, however) and bought something else to fill his belly. Our two heroes and their Pokémon passed their time merrily, talking among each other, as time passed.

Red was the one who won in the end.

* * *

 _Viridian City, Kanto._

 _3:00 P.M_

"So, you might ask, what is this special place I'm talking about, right?" asked Leaf to Red, earning her a nod from him. "Well, you'll see! We're not too far from it right now." And like that, Red, Leaf and Pikachu went from the Pokémon Center to the west of Viridian City. Remembering what had happened there with the old man, Red chuckled. Leaf looked at him, curiously.

"What are you laughing about, Red?" she asked him, curiously.

"Nothing." He replied drily, but still laughing.

"Really, now? What are you laughing about!?" she asked (more like yelled) to him again.

"We going to visit the old man?" he asked back at her. Furious, and blushing somewhat, she yelled at him.

"OF COURSE NOT YOU IDIOT!"

He continued laughing at her, while Pikachu sweatdropped a bit.

"YOU MENTION HIM AGAIN AND I'LL KILL YOU!" yelled her again at him. This time however, he backed away from her in fear, Pikachu falling to the ground in process and releasing a Thundershock that hit both of them at once.

"Oww! Pikachu, you're such a meanie! Like him!" Leaf said pointing to Red. He just rolled his eyes, and stood up again. Pikachu stuck his tongue at Leaf, making her utter a "Humph!" while jumping back to Red's shoulder. They continued walking and eventually turned left, to follow a new road.

"Here we are! Check your town map. We're on Route 22. But you won't be able to see anything just yet." As Leaf said this, Red searched for his map and opened it. Indeed, they were on Route 22. But just what in this route could be so special to Leaf? Red didn't have any clue.

"Hey, don't just stand there like a dunce Reddy! Come on!" yelled Leaf to him, who was now ahead of him. He caught up to her, and they continued walking, occasionally talking to each other. Eventually, they reached a rock. It was tall, but you could climb it easily. "Now, climb over there and you'll see what I'm talking about!" affirmed Leaf to Red, who nodded. He slowly climbed the rock and could see a building somewhat far away. He could see Leaf climbing, but she had difficulty thanks to her skirt.

"Won't you help a pretty damsel in distress?" She asked him, extending her hand. Red just rolled his eyes a little and extended his own hand to her in return. When she got it, she too climbed the rock.

"That building over there, is the Pokémon League Reception Gate." She stated. Red turned his focus to the building immediately but didn't see anything (or he did, badly).

"I don't see it." He said to her, to which she sweatdropped.

"Of course you won't see anything you dummy! You don't have your glasses on." Affirmed Leaf to him.

Groaning, he searched through his bag for them. Once he found them, he put them on.

"Hohoho! You sure look different with your glasses on!" said Leaf to Red, who only made a face at her and groaned. "Now, look! Can you see it?" she asked him, pointing to the building. Red could now see it properly. It was a somewhat tall building that had several gates connecting to it.

"When you enter there, you have 4 options. If you go downwards you could go to the Johto region. If you go right, then you'll end up at the same spot we are, Route 22. If you go forward, you'll go to the Pokémon League. And… If you go left… Well I don't really know what is there to be exact. Some people say that there's nothing that way. Others say that there is a tremendously high mountain that divides both the Kanto and Johto regions. None have ever returned from there to tell their stories. Or if they do, they don't have any evidence to support their claims." Affirmed Leaf to Red, who nodded to her explanation. In fact, he knew most of these things already, but this was the first time he ever came here. He also never knew about the mountain. All of these only made him more and more curious.

"And…" Leaf, continued with her explanation. "That thing over there far away that looks like a cave is Victory Road." She affirmed, pointing to it. "Following that, the maroon red building over there that looks like a castle is the Pokémon League." She said to Red, who kept his gazed fixed at it. He wondered when could he ever go there…

"And, that's it! I know you knew all of this, but you never saw it in real life eh?" asked Leaf to Red, who nodded in response. He was marveled by the sight. "When I was little and came to Viridian City a few times, Mum and Dad always brought me here and pointed them out. They told me to check it out again if I happened to get near, so I decided to show you too!" she exclaimed again to him, while he made an "o" with his mouth and nodded again. "You can't normally see all of that from below."

"Thanks, Leaf." he said, earning himself a wide smile and a nod from her. He kept staring at her for a while. The glasses sure improved his sight, as he encountered her even prettier than before.

"Red? Why are you staring at me? Do I have something on my face?" she asked him. In response, he just shook his head rapidly and blushed a little. "Oh well, it doesn't matter. Let's just get down from here." Stated Leaf. The two climbed down from up there eventually, and reached the ground. But just as they were going back to Viridian…

"Hey you two!" exclaimed a familiar voice to Red and Leaf. Turning to the source of it, both of them were surprised.

"Blue? What are you doing here?" asked Leaf, curiously.

"Just checking out things in there." He said, pointing to the League Reception Gate. "So, you're heading to the Pokémon League, Red?" he asked the boy, to which he shook his head.

"Anyway, forget it! You probably don't even have a single badge." Blue stated, while Red nodded and rolled his eyes. "I tried to enter there but the guards didn't let me through!" spoke Blue again.

"Obviously." Replied Red to him, while rolling his eyes. Leaf only sweatdropped at the antics of the two boys.

"Well, let's see if your Pokémon have gotten any stronger or not!" said Blue, while releasing a Pokémon. The creature in fact was a Pidgey, but this one looked much stronger than the one Leaf had caught. When it fully materialized, it chirped.

"Go." Said Red to Pikachu. The yellow mouse nodded and went to the ground, ready to face the tiny bird Pokémon.

"Dammit! But, type advantage doesn't mean anything Red! Pidgey, use Gust!" commanded Blue.

The little bird flapped its wings, making a little tornado of sorts, then throwed it at Pikachu. The yellow mouse got trapped inside it, but didn't suffer that much damage.

"Thundershock."

Pikachu let out a jolt of electricity that went directly to Pidgey, but the little bird could evade it in time.

"Pidgey, use Quick Attack!" commanded Blue again, but only to be met head on with Pikachu's own Quick Attack.

"Now, use Sand Attack!"

Just as Blue ordered the move, Pidgey took some dirt from the ground and throwed it at Pikachu. Pikachu couldn't see, for now.

"Now, while it is blinded by the sand, use Quick Attack!" Blue ordered Pidgey again. Red couldn't do anything, as Pikachu couldn't see yet. This time, the little bird could land a hit on Pikachu. But just as it did, Pidgey glowed yellow and cried out. It was paralyzed.

"Oh no! Pidgey's paralyzed!" exclaimed Blue, with a worried face. Red only smirked in triumph. "But this doesn't mean anything! Pidgey, use Sand Attack!"

However, just when the little bird was going to launch the attack, it glowed yellow again.

"Quick Attack, then Thundershock." Ordered Red to Pikachu, who made use of the situation. Running quickly, a white aura enveloped it and crashed in the tiny bird. Pidgey took the hit at full power. Then, it readied its Thundershock attack, letting out a jolt of electricity. However, Pidgey used Sand Attack again, blinding Pikachu once more.

"Pidgey, use Tackle!" ordered Blue again, hitting Pikachu once more. "And now, use Quick Attack to finish this!" yelled Blue, and Pidgey was enveloped by a white aura. But just when it was midway through the attack, it stopped and glowed yellow again.

"Thundershock."

This time the move hit Pidgey. Almost instantly, the tiny bird fainted, swirls on its eyes.

"Ugh! Go, Squirtle!" As soon as he commanded it to appear, it quickly materialized, yelling a determined "Squirt! Squirtle!"

"Thundershock, again." Ordered Red to Pikachu, who nodded and let out another jolt of electricity. But...

"Alright, let's try this! Squirtle, use Tackle and Water Gun at the same time!"

Squirtle retracted onto its shell then started spinning, while using Water Gun at the same time. Red was surprised by this. He didn't rely on improvising strategies now. Perhaps, that book had worked for him…

Needless to say, Pikachu fainted after getting hit by two moves at once, while having some damage from its battle with Pidgey. After Pikachu fainted, Red just picked him from the ground and patted his head as thanks for the good work, leaving him to Leaf's care. Next, Charmander came from its Pokeball.

"Char!" he exclaimed, while looking at Squirtle. But Blue just started laughing when the lizard came out from his Pokeball.

"Hahah! You think you can beat me and Squirtle with just fire attacks? Good luck trying!" Blue said mockingly to Red. He didn't bother to reply to his comment.

"Growl, then Scratch."

The orange lizard lounged at the tiny turtle after echoing a Growl attack, then scratched at it multiple times. However, it didn't take much damage from that.

"Squirtle, use Water Gun while it's close to you!"

Squirtle shot water from its mouth quickly, and poor Charmander couldn't dodge it at all. The attack took a considerable toll on the fire lizard's health.

"Now, use Tail Whip!" Blue commanded. Squirtle got near Charmander again, and just wagged its tail on his face. All of them except Blue and Squirtle sweatdropped.

"It's that supposed to be an attack…?" asked Leaf, still dumbfounded.

"Yeah, believ-" Blue said, until he was interrupted by Red.

"Ember."

Squirtle and Blue were not prepared for the strike and were caught off guard. Still, it didn't do much damage to the tiny turtle.

"Hey! Not fair!" Blue yelled at Red, who only smirked. "Well if you want it that way… Squirtle, use our combination attack!"

Squirtle once again retracted onto its shell, and started spinning around.

"Growl." Red ordered, but just in that instant…

"Start using Water Gun now!" ordered Blue.

Water Gun successfully countered Growl's effects and made it unusable. Squirtle was approaching Charmander at high speed. Red only had two options. The first was to use Scratch, but Charmander would have taken the hit either by the Tackle, or by the Water Gun. The second, was using Ember and hopefully the flames would somehow do an effect and evaporate the water. He decided for the second one.

"Ember, to where the water is coming."

At first, they were even. Ember somehow managed to evaporate the water a bit. But in the end, Squirtle had more impact and it's water managed to put off Charmander's Ember. The attack didn't hit it at full force due to Ember weakening the water somehow, but it still was enough to give Charmander a tremendous blow, making it faint. An indescribable feeling was going through Red. This was how defeat felt…

"Yeah! We showed him! Am I great or what?" exclaimed Blue happily, hi-fiving Squirtle. Red meanwhile just looked down steadily, and recalled Charmander to its Pokeball. Leaf looked saddened too. One part of her was happy that Blue won, but the other one wasn't. She knew this was going to be hard for Red.

"Hey, Red. You should quit dawdling and get a move on! Train some more and maybe, MAYBE you'll become as good as me. Hahaha!" Blue gloated, while waiting for his reward. (Or prize money)

Red rolled his eyes and took 200 Poke from his bag, handing them to Blue. But he still had a firm grip on them.

"Hey! They're mine!" exclaimed Blue, annoyed. Red still didn't give them to him. "Let go Red! Let go!" yelled Blue, even more annoyed now. Leaf just chuckled a bit. Eventually Red let go of the prize money, and instantly a depressed aura took over him, hands on his face.

"Humph! Serves you right. Well then, smell ya later both of you!"

And with that, Blue stormed off, leaving Leaf and Red to their own. Immediately after waving goodbye to him, Leaf approached Red.

"Hey… Don't feel bad about it Red. We always win and lose, you can't control that." Leaf affirmed, putting her hand on his shoulder. He smiled at her, and nodded. Pikachu got off from her, and Charmander got out of its Pokeball. Both of them looked down steadily, with apologetic faces. Red just smiled and patted their heads.

"It's fine. We'll train harder."

Pikachu and Charmander cheered up instantly, determination on both of them.

"Yeah! Well said, Red!" exclaimed Leaf. Red nodded again, a big smile on his face. "If you want to, I can help you train some more. There aren't always many trainers and wild Pokémon out there. You can count on me!" she said again, while putting her arm in her chest.

He nodded once more, and recalled Charmander to its ball. Pikachu jumped on his shoulder once more. Red and Leaf then headed for Viridian's Pokémon Center. In the way, Leaf caught a Mankey and a Spearow, adding them to the Pokedex. Eventually they got there, healed their Pokémon and Leaf sent the two she caught to Professor Oak. With all of that finished, Leaf and Red decided to head for Viridian City's Gym. However, no one was there…

The gym looked like it hadn't been used in a lot of time. There were some statues, but most of them were cut by half or had some damage.

"Red." Leaf said, in a somewhat scared tone. "Let's just get out of here. There's no one in this Gym. Besides, it's giving me the creeps."

Red nodded to her and they got out of that place. Suddenly they found a man talking to them.

"The Gym Leader is rarely there. You should try again later. I wonder who it could be…"

Both Red and Leaf nodded at the man in response. The girl pondered for a bit, before speaking to her friend about their next course of action.

"Well, the next city that has a gym on it is Pewter City. Even if you managed to battle the leader on this city, we eventually had to go there. So what do you say, should we go there before it gets dark?"

After some thinking, he nodded and they decided to go there. Heading first to Route 2, they found themselves another familiar face on their way…

"Ah! Now I've had my coffee and I feel like new!" exclaimed an old man to no one in particular.

Red looked at Leaf, smirking. She just glared at him and said nothing.

"Uh? Aren't you two those kids from before?" the old man asked. Red nodded at him, while Leaf looked away, annoyed. "Sorry, about that. Especially to you, young girl." Stated the old man, with an apologetic face. Red once again nodded to him, while Leaf just let out a sigh.

"It's fine. Don't worry mister."

"Now, let me compensate for my errors. I mean it. I'm deeply ashamed by what I have done…" the old man said, scratching the back of his head. Again, Leaf and Red nodded.

"When I was younger, I was a hotshot trainer! You believe, don't you?" asked the old man.

"If you say so..." Leaf said, not buying it much. Red didn't bother to reply.

"Aww come on youngsters! You gotta believe yo!" exclaimed the old man. "If you want, I'll teach you how to catch Pokémon."

"Mister, we already know how to catch Pokémon." Stated Leaf, as a matter of fact.

"Well, then I know just the right thing!" said the old man. And with that, he left for his house. Leaf sweatdropped slightly while Red just stood still. After a minute or so, he came back. "If I remember well, then your starter Pokémon are Bulbasaur and Charmander, right?" he asked, to which Red and Leaf nodded. "Here, take this."

He gave Leaf a strange seed, and Red a carbon charcoal of sorts. Leaf sweatdropped at the tiny thingy she had been given, while Red just frowned. They didn't have much clue about what these things were.

"Those are a Miracle Seed, and a Charcoal." stated the old man. "Each of them boost the power of Grass type moves and Fire type moves by 10% if you let your Pokémon hold them. They will be certainly useful in your journey if you use them appropriately.

"Oh, wow! This will surely be useful! Thanks, Mister!" exclaimed Leaf, happily. Red bowed in thanks.

"No need to thank me. Now, you should be on your way children. Best of luck!" he said, while patting Leaf and Red on their heads, much to their embarrassment. And so, they continued their way to Route 2 and, Viridian City. When the old man was out of sight, however…

"Scared?" asked Red to Leaf.

"Of course not!" she exclaimed (more like yelled) to him, after widening her eyes. "I'm n-not scared of him a-any more!"

"Sure."

"I SAID I'M NOT SCARED OF THAT OLD MAN ANYMORE, RED!" yelled Leaf at him, making him frightened. "Well, maybe a bit…"

Red just rolled his eyes.

"Well, think about it! What if that would have happened to you!?" exclaimed Leaf, to which Red nodded with a frown on his face. "Sigh… Let's just continue walking."

* * *

 _Route 2, Kanto._

 _4:05 P.M_

Our two heroes were now at Route 2, near the gate that led to Viridian Forest. They were walking in comfortable silence but…

"AHHH! GET OUT OF THE WAY!" a man yelled at Leaf and Red. Both of them moved before he could get near them. He had a Mankey clinging to his back, looking sick. They looked at him weirdly, like if he was going mad or something. Eventually a woman neared the both of them, making the same scene as before.

"MOVE! OUT OF THE WAY!" Yelled the woman at both of them, this time Red couldn't move in time and crashed into her, falling to the ground in the process. She however, didn't even bother looking back and continued her way. She had a Pidgey on her arms. Leaf handed her hand to Red, making him blush somewhat while standing up again.

"Seriously, what's up with this people!?" ranted Leaf to Red, while he nodded, glaring to the way the woman went by. Then, they heard a voice calling to them.

"Sorry about that." A young girl said. "Viridian Forest is like a natural maze. I work on the gate that connects it with this route. It's pretty easy to get lost in there, and if you bother the Pokémon there, they might poison yours or make them asleep. Both of you can also get the treatment. You should be careful. Here, take this."

After she said this, she gave Red and Leaf each one Antidote and one Awakening. Red and Leaf now understood why those two were running like that.

"Thank you very much! This items will surely be useful, right Red?" Leaf asked the boy beside her, who nodded.

"No need to thank me, it's my job. Besides… You wouldn't like to end up like those two, would you?" asked the girl while sweatdropping. Leaf and Red quickly shook their heads, imagining how that would be.

"Well then, see ya! Oh! And be careful, there's also a lot of trainers out there in the forest. Especially creepy bug catchers…" she said, with an annoyed tone. Both of them just nodded their heads, understanding the situation.

"Bye, then!" said the girl, waving and following the way the other two went. Red and Leaf waved back at her.

"Okay… Let's go then." Said Leaf, while Red nodded. They continued walking for a bit and were at the Forest's entrance. However, Pikachu didn't want to enter the forest and kept clinging to a nearby wall.

"Let go, Pikachu." Red saod, annoyed with the yellow mouse's behavior. However, Pikachu still didn't let go of it.

"Pika…" said Pikachu, in a somewhat depressed tone. In truth, it didn't want to go back to Viridian Forest. If his mom and old friends saw him, he was in for a beating. It had been almost 4 years since he last saw them. He didn't want to face anyone there.

"Come on Pikachu, you can't be there forever you know!" said Leaf, with her hands on her hips. Neither Red nor Leaf knew what happened with the yellow mouse. But, after some talking between the two, they decided to cheer up Pikachu (which was the only thing they could do) and hope that it would work.

Red approached the yellow mouse and patted his head.

"It's gonna be alright." He stated to him.

Leaf did the same and said "He's right you know? No matter what, we'll be sticking together with you. We mean it."

Pikachu cried a little and hugged both of them. It was a heartwarming moment.

"Sniff… I wish I had friends like that!" said a man who was watching the scene.

"Aww, that's so cute!" said a girl who was next to the man.

Leaf and Red sweatdropped a little, while Pikachu just let out a happy "Pika!"

After that was over with, they ventured into the forest. And what the girl said was true. It was tremendously big, trees and vegetation surrounding all of it. If you observed closely, you could see many Bug type Pokémon like Caterpie, Weedle, Kakuna, Metapod and Butterfree. Also the occasional Ratatta or Pidgey.

Red caught a Weedle, while Leaf did the same with a Caterpie. Once again, they were going to send them to Professor Oak's. After they caught them, Leaf fulfilled her promise of training Pokémon with Red. Battling against some trainers (mostly Bug catchers, who creeped Leaf out with their collections, while Red studied them curiously) and wild Pokémon, practicing and dodging their attacks, running around, etc. Red remembered most of this from books he read about when he was younger, while Leaf suggested some as well. Eventually, both trainers and Pokémon grew tired and had to rest. During the training, Charmander managed to learn Metal Claw and Smokescreen, while practicing Scratch and Ember. Both were useful moves for his next Gym battle, which according to Leaf, was a Rock type specialist who didn't have much in the position. Bulbasaur too learned Leech Seed and both Sleep and Poison Powder. Pikachu only learned Thunder Wave.

"Well, I think that this should be enough for today! Don't you think so, Red?" asked Leaf, to which the boy nodded. "So, you ready for your first Gym match then?" asked Leaf again.

"I think so…" stated Red, while looking at the ground steadily.

"Come on! You trained hard today! That should be enough for facing the Pewter City Gym!" exclaimed Leaf to him. But he was again lost in his own thoughts. After his loss against Blue, he doubted that he would win against a strong opponent, such as a Gym Leader. He was shaken from his thoughts however, as he felt someone hitting him.

"ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME RED!?" yelled an angry Leaf at him, making Red cower in fear.

"Sorry. Lost in thought again." Was all Red said to her.

"Sigh… Just listen up okay? I believe in you Red, and I know that you'll win. When you propose yourself anything, you always make it true. This is no exception. I know you can do it!"

Red felt truly motivated by Leaf's "speech" and smiled at her, while saying "Thanks." Bulbasaur, Charmander and Pikachu also felt inspired by it, yelling their names (or cries) determined. It was a very pleasing moment, until a sound attracted Leaf's attention.

"BZZZZ!"

"Did you hear that, Red?" asked Leaf, looking everywhere for the source of that sound. The boy just shook his head. The Pokémon however, could heard it clearly thanks to their enhanced hearing.

"BZZZZ!

"Now, don't tell me you didn't hear that one Red…" said Leaf, scared now. Red widened his eyes, as he knew what that sound meant. Arceus, they were totally screwed.

"Everyone. Don't move and stay quiet." Red said, calmly. However, it was all for naught as the source of the sound came directly to them.

A swarm of five furious Beedrill, coming for them.

"Crap." was all Red managed to muster.

"RED! I TOLD YOU TO NOT FIGHT THE KAKUNA YOU IDIOT!" Leaf yelled at him, furious. Red just widened his eyes.

"BZZZZ!"

The Beedrill then attacked using Pin Missile, but our heroes and their Pokémon managed to evade them just in time.

"Charmander, Ember. Pikachu, Thundershock." Commanded Red, still maintaining his head cool. Both of them attacked, and the Beedrill took the hit. However, they didn't look damaged at all. The only thing different now was that they were even more furious.

"BZZZZZ!"

"Well, damn. Everyone… RUN FOR YOUR FREAKING LIFE!" yelled Leaf at the top of her lungs, running. Red widened his eyes and began running too. Bulbasaur, Charmander and Pikachu were not too far behind.

They continued to run for it, but the Beedrill were still close. Too close. They launched another Pin Missile attack and this time, despite not hitting their targets, was enough for the group of five to jump due to the explosion caused by it, and land flat on the ground.

"Are you ok? Red asked Leaf and the Pokémon. All of them just nodded. When the smoke caused by the explosion dispersed, the Beedrill were staring intently at them, preparing to attack once more.

"We're done for…" stated Leaf, clinging to Red and the Pokémon. Red stood in front of her, in a somewhat protective stance. The Beedrill launched the attack, but just when it was going to hit them…

"Rai!"

"Pika!"

A green wall protected them from the attack. Red, Leaf and the Pokémon were more than surprised about this. Especially Pikachu, who recognized the voices instantly.

When the smoke from Pin Missile disappeared, the two Pokémon could be seen clearly. One was a Pikachu, but this one looked different to Red's Pikachu. Instead of having a thunder-like form in the end of its tail, this one had a heart-like form. The other Pokémon however, seemed like an overgrown orange colored Pikachu with a whip-like tail. Both of them had a pendant with a somewhat glowing yellow orb.

"What Pokémon is that?" said Leaf, curious about it. Almost if on cue, Red scanned it with his Pokedex.

"Raichu, the mouse Pokémon and evolved form of Pikachu. Its electric charges can reach even 100,000 volts. Careless contact can cause even a Donphan to faint. Its long tail serves as ground to protect itself from its own high-voltage power." The Pokedex exclaimed. Red tried to press the "Info" button, but only the Pokémon's gender came out of it. Maybe because, it wasn't a captured Pokémon and, as Oak said, you need to capture it to get full data. "This Raichu's gender is female."

"Oh, wow. So that is Pikachu's evolved form…" said Leaf to no one in particular, but Red nodded to her.

"Rai, Raichu!" the orange mouse exclaimed, furiously. It was followed by a "Pi! Pika!" from the female Pikachu accompanying it.

"BZZZZZ!"

The Beedrill then prepared another Pin Missile attack, but both electric rodents could evade it on time. They then started running fast, glowing yellow at the same time. The yellow color grew more intense the more they ran, and finally they crashed on two of the Beedrill. Both of them fainted. Red, Leaf and the Pokémon looked in awe. Just what was that attack?

The remaining Beedrill looked at their fallen comrades and got even more furious, this time using a different attack – Twineedle. Two of the remaining three put their stingers at the front, then quickly thrusted forward. Both Raichu and Pikachu used Protect however, and they just bounced off the green aura protecting both electrical Pokémon. When they did so, the green aura disappeared and both Raichu and Pikachu used an attack that looked two times as powerful as a Thundershock. Red knew about this one – Thunderbolt.

Again, both of the Beedrill fainted, leaving only one remaining. The remaining one just pointed at Raichu, signaling that it wanted to battle it one on one. Raichu just said "Rai!" and nodded.

The Beedrill used Twineedle again, while Raichu used a new attack. Its tail glowed silver, and smashed it against Beedrill's stingers. Beedrill ended up getting hit once again, but recovered from the hit. Raichu just smirked, but suddenly it let out a cry of pain and its body glowed a shade of purple. Raichu was poisoned…

"Oh no! It was poisoned!" exclaimed Leaf, looking at Red. Pikachu had an horrified look on its face. It then cried out. "Pikaaa!"

Raichu turned back to face him, with a look of disbelief on her eyes. When she saw Pikachu, she ran to him, and hugged the yellow mouse, not letting go for some time. Red, Leaf, Charmander and Bulbasaur looked in shock at the scene. But of course, Beedrill wasn't going to have any of that and attacked with Twineedle. Pikachu used Thundershock and though he couldn't get to damage Beedrill that much, it was still enough to stop the ensuing attack.

Raichu then told him something, and Pikachu nodded, moving away to where the other Pikachu was reluctantly. The two of them hugged each other quickly, but turned their attention to the ongoing battle.

Red now scanned Beedrill with his Pokedex, much to Leaf's dismay.

"Red! Now isn't the time to use the Pokedex!" she chastised him.

"I have an idea." He replied at her, while she made an "o" with her mouth.

"Beedrill, the Poison Bee Pokémon and the evolved form of Kakuna. May appear in a swarm. Flies at violent speeds, all the while stabbing with the venomous stingers on its forelegs and tail." The Pokedex exclaimed.

"Beedrill's stinger is its strong point, but also it's its weakness. You know what I'm saying?" Red asked Leaf, who nodded.

"Hey Raichu!" Leaf yelled, while Raichu turned to face her. "Force Beedrill to use Twineedle, then try to dodge it and make it get stuck on the ground!" she continued. Raichu thought for a bit, then nodded at her.

Raichu used Thunderbolt, while moving some distance from Beedrill. Beedrill used Pin Missile once more, but then Raichu used Protect, again moving away from the Poison Bee Pokémon. Beedrill now used Twineedle, lunging itself forward to where Raichu was, as it got too far away to accurately use Pin Missile. Raichu stood still, waiting for the moment. When the attack nearly hit her, she made some kind of backflip and moved away, making Beedrill crash its stinger with the ground, and getting stuck. Raichu now used the momentum and prepared the attack she used first once more. Running, it started to glow yellow again, intensifying with the more it ran. When it was finished, it crashed onto Beedrill, sending it flying away. The others panicked and followed their leader. Another victory for our heroes, you could say. But, as soon as she was finished with the attack, Raichu glowed purple again and fell to the ground injured. The two Pikachu looked tremendously worried, while Red, Leaf and their starter Pokémon hurried to Raichu.

Almost immediately, Red got an antidote and two potions from out of his bag. He sprayed all of them on Raichu, making it feel way better. After a little while, it suddenly got up and exclaimed "Rai, Rai!" to Red and Leaf, as if saying thanks. It then hurried over to Red's Pikachu and when she approached him, she had a look of worry on her face. But she was also mad and started chastising him. The other Pikachu did the same too. Red and Leaf decided not to enter into the fray, knowing that it wasn't their business. Eventually, the three were talking in good terms.

"Do you think that Raichu is Pikachu's mum Red? And the other one, his sis?" asked Leaf to the boy beside him. He thought for some bit, then replied to her.

"Maybe. Let's ask him."

"Pikachu." Red said, with a curious tone. Both Pikachu and Raichu were looking at him now. "Is that your mom and your sister?" he asked, still with a curious tone. Pikachu nodded and said "Pika!" happily. Pikachu then pointed at Red and Leaf, then at Bulbasaur and Charmander, as if introducing them to his mom and sister. Raichu then walked to all of them and shaked their hands happily and at the same time, fast. Leaf and Red sweatdropped at the antics of Pikachu's mom. Pikachu's sister waved at them while saying a happy "Pi, Pika!"

"Wow, your mum sure is strong Pikachu!" Leaf said, while Pikachu sweatdropped a bit and said "Pika…"

"Now, I know what you didn't want to come here! You were hiding from them" affirmed Leaf, while Pikachu looked at the ground steadily. As he said this, Raichu started chastising again.

Eventually, the three of them kept talking and playing around. Leaf, Red and their Pokémon watched at them, happily and laughing sometimes. It somehow reminded our two protagonists of their childhood. Speaking of reminding…

"Red, what time is it? Asked the blue eyed girl to the boy beside him, who just showed her the clock on the Pokedex.

"RED! THE GYM CLOSES AT 7:30!" yelled Leaf at him, while he just nodded at her, watching the electric type mouse family. "AND IT'S ALREADY 6:50! WE'RE GONNA BE LATE!" yelled Leaf at him, while he just facepalmed. Their Pokémon and the electric type mouse family sweatdropped at Leaf. As if on cue, Raichu signaled a way with her paw.

"Uh? You know the exit to the forest Raichu?" Leaf asked, while Raichu nodded. "Thanks! Now you're saved Red! You sure are lucky." She said, while Red rolled his eyes.

Eventually they walked some more and got to the gate leading to the forest's exit. Pikachu was saying his goodbyes to his family, with tears on all of their faces.

"Sniff… This just reminds me of when I said goodbye to Mum and Dad… Waaahh!" Leaf cried in Red's shoulder, while he chuckled. In truth, it also reminded him of when he said farewell for the time being to his mother. But he was also much more adept at hiding his feelings than her.

Raichu gave her pendant to Pikachu, tears on her eyes. Red looked curiously at it. He remembered seeing the yellow orb somewhere else, but didn't remember where. After a family hug of some time, Red, Leaf and their Pokémon waved goodbye at Pikachu's family, promising to meet them again if they happened to be near the area. And with that, they continued on to Route 2 and Pewter City.

* * *

 _Pewter City, Kanto_

 _7:10 P.M_

"Whew… That was totally unexpected. But at least we got to meet Pikachu's family!" said Leaf, while Pikachu let out a happy "Pika!" and Red nodded, smiling. "I know you want to go to the Gym first Red, but first things first. We should get a room at the Pokémon Center here first, don't you think?" Leaf asked him. Red nodded in response and they decided to go to the Pokémon Center, asking for directions first. When they got there, Leaf got the key to the room while Red sent the Pokémon they caught in the forest to Professor Oak, after giving Nurse Joy all of their Pokémon for healing. Following that while, they were ready and set.

"Let's go!" said Leaf, to which Red nodded.

Walking for a while, they eventually reached the Gym. It was a medium sized building, with a grayish-brown rooftop and some windows. Leaf turned her attention to a sign that was in front of the Gym.

 _Pewter City Gym_

 _Leader: Brock._

 _Brock solid willpower and determination!_

"Seriously… just who puts that motto to his Gym?" said Leaf while sweatdropping. Red only chuckled at her. But, seriously. Who the hell puts that there?

"Red, are you sure you don't want to use Bulbasaur? I know I have asked you a lot of times and you declined, but are you really sure?" asked Leaf, in a slightly worried tone.

"It's fine, Leaf. I want to do this myself." Red said, while Leaf nodded at him understandably.

"Okay then, let's enter." Said Leaf, to which Red nodded. When they entered they were greeted by rocks. A lot of rocks. There were rocks even in the places there shouldn't be. Also, in the main arena was some sand, plus the naturally normal rocks. A man in his forties approached them.

"Hi there! My name is Jim Gai! Like, Gym Guide but in a name! You know what I'm saying?" said the man now known as Jim Gai, to Red and Leaf. They just nodded weirdly. "Anyway, are you here for the Gym Leader challenge?" Jim Gai asked Red and Leaf, but only Red nodded.

"He's the one who would like to take the challenge. I'm only accompanying him." Said Leaf, while pointing to Red.

"Oh… I understand. But you should give a try too little girl!" said Jim Gai, while Leaf just shook her head.

"Nah… Not my kind of thing to do." Leaf said, while the Gym guide only nodded in response and took Red with him, while Leaf followed closely.

"Okay champ in the making! If you listen to my advice, you'll be the Champion in no time! You dream big? You believe kid?" asked Jim Gai, while Red nodded, sweatdropping a bit.

"Then, let's go!" said Jim Gai, while Red felt even more uncomfortable. "This Gym specializes on Rock type Pokémon, as you might know. They have high defenses and attack, but also low special defense and special attack. Some are pretty slow too. Unless you have a favorable move or Pokémon against them, you will be in for a tough battle. You will now face one trainer, then after that, the Gym Leader, Brock." Stated the Gym Guide once more. Red walked some more, waiting for the trainer. But suddenly a voice attracted his attention.

"Stop right there kid! You're ten thousand lightyears from facing Brock!" exclaimed a Camper. Red only rolled his eyes and prepared to battle him.

Three minutes later…

"Damn it… Lightyears isn't even time… It measures distance!" yelled the camper, as a depressed aura surrounded him. Red just rolled his eyes again, while Leaf and Jim Gai just laughed it off.

"What a fail!" said Jim Gai, hi-fiving Leaf.

"Yeah!"

"Now proceed to the main arena, Red. Brock is waiting there." Affirmed Jim Gai, while Red nodded in response.

Leaf put her hand on his shoulder and only said "You can do it, Red."

He nodded and proceeded to it. A shadow could be seen sitting on a stone pedestal. As Red approached it, the figure stood up and revealed itself. A young man who had spiky dark brown hair, a black and orange shirt and dark green pants approached him.

"So, you're here. It's good for you to come." He said, looking at Red with a serious face. But Red only looked at him weirdly, because of his eyes. "I'm the Pewter City Gym Leader, Brock- I" he was going to continue, but noticed Red staring at him.

"Aww come on! Not again! I know my eyes are weird but you don't have to make it that obvious!" said Brock, looking at Red with an annoyed face. Red bowed as an apology, while Leaf and Jim Gai sweatdropped.

"Well, as I was saying… I saw what you are capable of, Red. You certainly have excellent battle skills. But, do you really think that you can defeat me with a Charmander and a Pikachu?" asked Brock, with a curious tone while Red only nodded in response.

Silence.

Then, extreme laughter.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" That's the best joke I've ever heard since a long time! "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAAHA!"

Red didn't bother to reply to this.

5 minutes later…

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAAH"

Brock continued laughing, not stopping even a little bit. But Red decided he had enough.

"Ember."

And with that, Charmander prepared to use its attack on Brock, but at the last moment he stopped laughing.

"Okay, Okay! I'll stop. Sorry." He said, while returning to his serious self. Everyone just sweatdropped at this. "So, are you sure you are ready to face me?" asked Brock again, to which Red nodded. "Let me tell you, my Pokémon are all Brock solid! That means, their determination is as rock hard as mine."

"Oh well… It does have sense now." Leaf stated to nobody in specific.

"Okay then… Geodude, let's go!" said Brock, throwing a Pokeball. A Pokémon that looked like a rock materialized from it. Red immediately scanned it with his Pokedex.

"Geodude, the Rock Pokémon. Found in fields and mountains. Its round form makes it easy to pick up. Some people have used them to hurl at each other in a snowball fight, while others accidentally step or trip on them."

Red immediately came up with an idea to battle against it. Charmander got in front of it, ready to battle.

"Geodude, use Tackle!" commanded Brock. The Rock- like Pokémon obeyed, and lunged forward at Charmander.

"Metal Claw."

The fire lizard nodded and blocked Geodude's Tackle with his attack.

"Now use Rock Tomb while you're close!" Brock commanded to Geodude. The Rock Pokémon summoned many rocks from the ground then shot them at Charmander.

"Dodge them."

The fire lizard did as commanded and successfully dodged the rocks being thrown at him by spinning.

"Argh! Geodude, use Tackle again!"

"Stop it with Growl."

Charmander managed to stop the Rock Pokemon on its tracks due to the effects of Growl.

"Fling it, then Metal Claw."

Charmander did as commanded and flung the Rock Pokémon, then using its steel type attack.

"No! Geodude!" Brock exclaimed, as he watched Geodude take a lot of damage. But luckily for him, the Rock Pokemon got up again.

"Great! Now use Rock Tomb again!"

"Dodge it."

Charmander then dodged the rocks, as ordered. Geodude prepared to use another attack.

"Use Tackle Geodude! Full Power!" Brock ordered to the Rock Pokémon.

"Growl."

Charmander let out another Growl, making Geodude stop its attack. When it stopped, Red signaled for another attack.

"Metal Claw."

Charmander got near it and its claws glowed silver, sending Geodude flying due to the force of the attack. It then fainted, swirls on its eyes.

"Ugh... Geodude, return." Brock said, returning Geodude to its Pokeball. "This isn't over yet! Let's go Onix!"

Brock released a tremendously big snake like Pokémon, with a body made of rocks. It made Charmander gulp in fear. Onix let out a Roar to the fire lizard, making him even more scared now. Red widened his eyes and scanned the new Pokémon with his Pokedex.

"Onix, the Rock Snake Pokemon. As it grows, the stone portions of its body harden to become similar to black-colored diamonds. It usually lives underground. It searches for food while boring its way through the ground at 50 miles per hour." exclaimed the Pokedex.

Red didn't have much of a strategy for this...

"Use Rock Tomb!" Commanded Brock. Once again, rocks appeared from the ground and were launched towards Charmander.

"Metal Claw."

Charmander destroyed the rocks using its attack, but was nonetheless hit by some of them.

"Keep it up Onix, now use Dig!" Brock ordered.

Onix went underground. When it resurfaced it hit Charmander hard, making it instantly faint. Staying calm, Red recalled him and turned his gaze to Pikachu, who nodded and stood on the battlefield.

"Quick Attack."

Pikachu ran quickly towards Onix, enveloped in a white aura.

"Use Tackle!"

Both of the Pokémon collided with each other, Onix gaining the upper hand due to its sheer size.

"Now, use Rock Tomb!"

"Dodge them."

Onix once again summoned many rocks and launched them towards Pikachu, who managed to dodge them just at the nick of time. Brock took advantage of this.

"Keep up the pressure Onix! Use Dig!"

Pikachu was busy dodging the rocks thrown from Rock Tomb and so, was severely hurt by Onix's Dig. The yellow mouse looked like he could fall anytime soon.

"And now, use Bind!" Brock exclaimed to Onix.

Onix then trapped Pikachu inside of its snake-like body. Pikachu didn't have any way of escape. Red ran out of options, while Leaf and Jim Gai looked in shock. Onix squeezed even harder the more time that passed, not letting Pikachu go. But not all was lost…

Pikachu's tail suddenly started glowing silver, much like Raichu did. It then smashed its tail on Onix repeatedly making it fall. Everyone looked in awe at Pikachu's new move.

"Argh! Use Dig once more!"

"Iron Tail, again."

Onix burrowed its way underground while Pikachu waited for it. When the Rock Snake resurfaced, Pikachu's tail glowed silver again and both clashed, ending in a stalemate. At first, Onix was having the advantage due to it being way more bigger than Pikachu, but the yellow mouse somehow managed to work around this and hit the Rock Snake Pokemon repeatedly, knocking it out. Everyone was surprised at the sudden surge of power that went through Pikachu. Red ran towards Pikachu and took the yellow mouse within his hands, patting his head and thanking him for the good job. Everyone smiled at this.

"Onix, return. You've done well, my friend." Brock said, recalling his fallen comrade to its Pokeball. "Well, that's something unexpected. I didn't know that Pikachu could learn Iron Tail." He said, looking curious. _"Oh… But that pendant… it does have a Light Ball. No wonder he could defeat Onix… that easily…"_ Brock thought to himself.

"Wow, I had a lot of time since I last had a battle that intense. My last challenger was some guy with a Squirtle and a Pidgey, but that Squirtle just made me lose almost instantly." Brock said, while scratching the back of his head. Leaf and Red knew almost immediately who that was. "I took you for granted and so, I have lost. Red, take this Boulder Badge. You have earned it" Brock affirmed to Red, handing him the badge. He looked extremely happy at his success. "Aside from that, now you can use the move Flash outside of battle and, Pokémon you get through trades will obey you until Level 20.

"See? What did I tell you? I knew you could do it!" said Leaf, running up to him and giving Red a short hug. Red blushed slightly at this. "Yeah, I told you champ in the making! You believed and because of that, you won!" said Jim Gai, while everyone sweatdropped at this. Brock also gave Red TM39, Rock Tomb.

After some talking with Brock, Leaf and Red waved their goodbyes to him. According to him, the next Gym was located in Cerulean City. When they got out of the Pewter Gym, Red and Leaf went to the Pokémon Center to heal Red's Pokémon and get something to eat. After they had their bellies filled, they went for some more sightseeing at the city and eventually returned to the Pokémon Center. Both Red and Leaf were yearning to get some sleep after today. Some time after, they got to their room.

"Whew… Today sure was special for our first day travelling don't you think?" asked Leaf to the red eyed boy after jumping into her bed.

"Yeah." Replied Red. He at first blushed at her, as he stared at her wearing her pajamas.

"Well then, good night Red! I'm like, sooo sleepy I can't even feel my head!" Leaf joked, while Red smiled for a bit.

"Good night." He replied to her, also going to sleep.

"And Red…?" Leaf asked him, while he turned to face her.

"Again, thank you for letting me travel with you. It means a lot for me." Affirmed Leaf, facing him. He blushed a bit and smiled in response.

"Anything for you, Leaf."

* * *

And… That's it! Longest chapter as of now. It's like, 2x the length of the others. Also, if you looked carefully enough, I took some ideas from the anime and the manga (Pokespe) this time.

Pikachu's love for Ketchup: To add some humor to the scene where they were eating their food, I decided to take this from the anime. Ash's Pikachu loves ketchup likes there's no tomorrow. At first I was reluctant to do this, but I thought about it twice then decided to go for it. Then again, Red is Ash's game counterpart so I thought, why not?

Professor Oak's ranch: Catching Pokémon then leaving them in a PC forever, doesn't seem right. Neither does releasing them after catching the Pokémon. So I decided to take that from the anime too. The Pokémon there can decide themselves, if they want to go back into the wild after getting the data, or if they want to stay.

The Pokedex: Like the manga, it is only given to people who are worthy of them. Not anyone can have it. This group of three friends (and two rivals also) was the first to have it. Professor Oak himself wouldn't give out a Pokedex personally until three years in the Johto region. Two of them given, one stolen. You might know who has each. Also, the characters possessing them will sometimes use them to analyze battle situations and make unexpected but at the same time, smart moves. For example, the battle of Raichu and Beedrill at the forest, and Charmander vs Geodude at the beginning.

Pikachu learning Iron Tail: As Red's Pikachu was in the brink of fainting, it suddenly learned the attack. I don't remember if that was the case in the anime, but it was something like that.

But there were some ideas that I came with myself, such as Red losing his second battle against Blue and Pikachu reuniting with his family. It all adds to character development.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter! See you next time!


	5. When the Moon shines, Rockets launch too

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own Pokémon! Pokémon and all its associated trademarks belong to Gamefreak and Nintendo. Cover isn't mine either, rights belong to its author.

* * *

 ** _Review corner_**

 _ **Guest:**_ Again, thank you very much! I don't know, ideas like that just flow into my mind like crazy xD. Thanks for reading again, and I hope you enjoy this chapter as always!

 _ **The Unique Alpha:**_ _Thank you very much! I'm so glad that you like the story! About your question, as you guessed, it is based on the Game-verse. However, I understand a lot of similarities this has to the manga. First off it's the Pokedex and its use on battles. Then, the main characters eye colors are Red (Red), Blue (Blue (manga)/Leaf) Green (Green Oak (manga)/Blue Oak). I mainly did that to make them different from the regular game characters. For example, Leaf and Red's designs in Gen 3 are pretty similar. Same hair color, same eye color, etc. I wanted to differentiate them from each other, so that's the reason they are like that. For example, the Hoenn story (which is coming up next when I finish this one) will have Brendan and May with eyes similarly colored to that of their manga counterparts. I dunno, I have stuck to that idea. As for the battles, well, originally I was going to do it just like the games, no dodging. But, I thought it wasn't going to be fair for both sides and a tad boring, so I decided to make battles more realistic plus exciting and went the anime way. Anyway, thanks for your suggestion! There are going to be some battles like that, but they will be more for jokes (like Pikachu and Red the last chapter) than realistic and serious battles. I hope you enjoy this chapter as always!_

 _ **QUEENSPELLER67:**_ _Yeah… That's what I think too! It's possible. Though we never get to know who was his father or what happened to him. Or not even more family aside from Oak and Daisy._

* * *

 _ **Last time on The Crimson Legend…**_

 _Red and Leaf got a map from Daisy! Red likes annoying Blue, it seems. After that, our heroes continued their way to Viridian City, where they managed to get to the Pokémon Center and something to eat. Red's meal (a Hamburger) used Attract on Pikachu, and Pikachu went for the gold (or Ketchup, should I say?). Red had been at the bathroom when the romance between the two started, while Leaf was lost in her own world, eventually watching curiously as Pikachu took more and more Ketchup. Red then got out from there, and a scuffle of legends had begun. The thing is, there was nothing more than an angry Red, an annoyed Pikachu, a sweatdropping Leaf who wanted to get out of there ASAP and a bunch of people watching the fight. Eventually Pikachu won. Or not, as Red shot him "The Glare". After that got out of the way, they continued to Route 22 and climbed a rock to get a better view of things there. There, Leaf showed Red the League Reception Gate, Victory Road and the Pokémon League. Also, she pointed on to a way where no one had ever returned from. Supposedly there's a mountain there. No one knows to be exact. Some minutes passed, and they got down from there only to find Blue. He challenged Red to another battle, but this time he won…_

 _Red was depressed after the loss, but Leaf's words and some encouragement made him try harder next time, and train some more. After they went to the Pokémon Center to heal Red's Pokémon after the battle, they decided to go to Viridian's Gym. But they didn't found anyone or anything, and the place was creeping Leaf out so they got out of there and decided to go to Pewter City (and Viridian Forest). One thing led to the other, and they ended up meeting the old man from before again (who also had had his coffee), trained for a bit, got chased by a swarm of angry Beedrill and met Pikachu's family in Viridian Forest. After that was over with, they reached Pewter City. Getting a bit of rest in the Pokémon Center, Leaf and Red got to the Gym, where Red faced Brock and, after a hard battle, won. Our two heroes minded their usual business after that. (Eating, sightseeing, and sleeping.)_

 _And that brings us to the current time…_

 _Pewter City, Kanto._

 _9:10 A.M_

"Yawnn… The beds here sure are comfy… Don't you think so?" asked Leaf to nobody in specific, but she was replied to with a happy "Pika!" "Char!" and "Bulba!"

"Oh you guys are awake! Good morning!" exclaimed Leaf, to which the Pokémon replied happily by exclaiming their names once again. Leaf turned to her side and saw that Red was still asleep. Gee, that lazy lad. Red only got up early on important days (like yesterday) and liked to sleep as much as possible. Leaf (and his mom too) knew this too well herself, and decided to wake him up. But not in a common way, no sirree!

"Would you mind waking up Red for me, Pikachu?" she asked the yellow mouse, who only nodded and smirked evilly, just like her. Pikachu jumped to Red's bed and when he got close enough to him, used Thundershock. Red instantly jumpstarted and felt an extreme headache. Leaf and the Pokémon were laughing in the floor. Red just glared at them.

"How funny." Was all he said, while the others were still laughing on the floor.

"You bet it is!" said Leaf in retort, smirking. "Good morning sleepy head!"

"Morning." He replied casually to her, thinking of many ways to get Leaf back for this. (And Pikachu, too!)

"Hey, remember. Today we are going to the Museum of Science to watch some exhibits. I'll bet there are many things to watch there!" said Leaf, while Red groaned and nodded to her, entering the bathroom. When he closed the door, she high-fived with Pikachu. "That was awesome!" Leaf exclaimed, while the yellow mouse grinned and nodded in response.

Some time after, they were all ready and set. They first went to the Café to get something for breakfast (Red noted to himself to not let Pikachu near anything that contained Ketchup) while the Pokémon were eating their food. After they had their belly filled the Pokémon were returned to their Pokeballs except for Pikachu, of course, and our two protagonists continued on to Pewter's Museum of Science.

* * *

 _Pewter City Museum of Science_

 _10:05 A.M_

"Here we are. The Pewter Museum of Science!" exclaimed Leaf to Red, who nodded and smiled at her. "Let's enter, then."

They continued walking and were received by an attendant.

"Hello, and welcome to the Pewter Museum of Science! The admission is 50 Poke for Childs. Would you like some tickets?" asked the attendant, while Red and Leaf nodded in response. Before she could pay for her own ticket, Red handed the attendant 100 Poke. This left her quite puzzled.

"I could have perfectly paid my own ticket, you know?" she asked Red, who only rolled his eyes. "It's fine."

"No, it isn't."

"It is. Don't worry."

"No."

"Yes.

"NO."

"Yes."

"NO!"

"YES."

"If you two continue like that, I'm afraid that we'll have to expel you." Affirmed the attendant, while Red and Leaf just looked at each other and stood silent.

"Sorry miss… We'll be quiet for now. Hehe…" said Leaf, sweatdropping a bit. The attendant just looked at them and nodded.

"I'll let this one slip, for now. Anyway, thanks." She said to Red, who nodded to her. "Let's go see the exhibits then!" she said (more like forced, as she grabbed Red's arm and ran off)

They first went to a fossil of a Pokémon that had long wings, sharp teeth and fangs, a supposedly rock hard body and a tail that looked like a Houndoom's. Its name was Aerodactyl. It is described as a vicious, aggressive Pokémon from the age of prehistoric Pokémon. It had a tremendously high-pitched cry and was a highly skilled hunter. It is said that if you have a piece of Old Amber with an Aerodactyl's fossils inside it, you can bring it back to life.

"Holy Arceus! I imagine how terrifying it must be having one of those things near you. But maybe it grows attached to you and doesn't do anything rash, then." Stated Leaf, while Red listened to her. He in fact wasn't scared by it, and thought about the possibilities that such Pokémon could do in battle, as well as how could the scientists revive it from just a piece of amber. He was suddenly shook from his thoughts from Leaf, however.

"Hey, let's see the other one!" she said, while he nodded.

Next, they came face to face with a Pokémon that had a slim body, big head, and a short tail. It didn't look that tall. But the most prominent thing of it was that it had no hands. Only scythes. Long, sharp and big scythes. Its name, Kabutops. It tucked in its shell to swim extremely fast, but as its prey adapted to land life, this Pokémon had to as well. With its long and powerful scythes it cut down enemies and prey alike, and drank their internal fluids.

"Seriously!? Ewww…" said Leaf, while Red only chuckled. "Things got even worse. I can't even imagine what that was like. It just makes me wanna puke. How gross…" she stated once more, while Red began laughing. An idea had just brewed on his mind. Leaf was going to pay dearly for waking him up…

"Just what is so funny, Red?" she asked with a frown on her face. Red just copied the pose in which Kabutops was and with a hand, he "cut" through Leaf's belly. When he did that, he approached it and started making sounds like if he was suctioning her internal fluids. She looked at him like if he was going mad, but then started laughing uncontrollably.

"Red, it tickles! Please stop! Hahahaha!" she laughed, while Red just continued doing what he was. "I'm not joking Red, please stop! Hahaha!" she said, still laughing. After a bit, he let go of her, chuckling.

"Payback." He said to her, while she just laughed.

"Oh… so that's what it was. Well, you got me at my weak point, I gotta admit." She said, chuckling. However when they turn around to go to the next exhibit, they see that nearly everyone in the museum watched their "scene"

Some laughed, while others just glared at Red and Leaf, an old man even looking disgusted while saying "At that age and they're thinking about doing those things…" making both of them blush, Red more so than Leaf. Another one just said "At their age I just minded playing games with my friends!"

To say that Leaf and Red were embarrassed was an understatement. Again, the attendant approached them and looked sternly at them. "One more thing and that's it. Arceus, you're even worse than Brock." She said, while pointing to Leaf. She just raised an eyebrow and frowned in response.

"What's that supposed to mean!?"

"Brock rarely laughs, but when he does, he finds it hard to stop." The attendant said, as a matter of fact. Red and Leaf remembered their encounter with Brock last night, and it was true. He couldn't stop laughing and Red grew irritated, so much that he ordered Charmander to use Ember to make him notice.

"Yeah… We've been through that. Hehe…" Leaf said, while she and Red sweatdropped a bit. "Anyway, sorry miss! We promise that this'll be the last time anything like that happens." Leaf affirmed, with an apologetic face. The attendant looked at her and nodded, taking off to wherever she was before all of this.

"Let's go to the other one, then." Leaf said, avoiding the gaze of others, while Red did the same.

And finally, the last fossil Pokémon came into sight. Omastar. It had a large helix spiraled shaped shell, with spikes on it's middle, a gooey body with several tentacles, big eyes and an oval mouth with a four-way jawed, fang-like beak. Having a big shell didn't allow it to move freely and eventually led to its own extinction, as it grew bigger than usual after some time. Once it caught its prey, it never let go of it, immediately biting down on them and sucking their insides out. It swam on the sea looking for prey and even prehistoric Shellder were no match for it.

"And this thing is a combination of the ones we just saw… Sucked their insides, and had sharp fangs. Luckily they don't exist. I'll never be able to get along with them." Stated Leaf, while Red chuckled. She didn't like any of the Pokémon so far, so for her the trip was going badly.

"Let's go to the second floor…" Leaf said, yawning. Red nodded and they got to the stairs. After climbing them for a bit, they got to the second floor.

They first got to a model of a space shuttle. This was interesting, at least for Leaf. It was a replica of the one humans first used to go to the moon. An old man and a little girl that looked like his grandchild suddenly approached Red and Leaf.

"July 20, 1969! Humankind first set foot on the moon that day. I bought a color TV just so I could watch that news." He said, proud of himself.

"Oh, wow! I bet that was exciting! We can't see much of that nowadays…" she said, a bit disappointed. Red and the old man nodded at her.

"You bet it was, child! Incidentally, do you know where they are displaying the Moon Stones?" he asked her, while Leaf just shook her head. "I don't even know what those are, mister. Hehe…" she affirmed while sweatdropping a bit. The old man looked at her in shock.

"What!? You don't know what a Moon Stone is? But that's what all girls nowadays want to know about! It's pretty as a gift, and evolves certain kinds of Pokémon." He said, while looking at Leaf in disbelief. After looking around for a bit, he saw a somewhat big crowd of people. "I think they're showing them there! Let's go!" the old man said, while Red and Leaf followed. Leaf was very curious about it, as was Red. Accompanying the old man, they got to where the museum was exhibiting them. A black stone, with numerous cracks could be seen. It was in some kind, reminiscent of a meteorite.

"The Pokémon that evolve with Moon Stones are Jigglypuff, Nidorina, Nidorino and the most popular of them all, Clefairy." The old man explained to Red and Leaf. Leaf looked even more eager. "And what do they look like, sir?" she asked the old man, who proceeded to a photo from his pocket and showed it to Leaf and Red. A pink Pokémon that had tiny eyes, and a star shaped body.

" ...Arceus." Leaf said, while widening her eyes. "THAT IS THE CUTEST THING I HAVE EVER SEEN ON MY LIFE!" she exclaimed, stars on her eyes. Everyone just sweatdropped at her.

"Indeed it is, child. My granddaughter also wants a Clefairy as her first Pokémon. Thing is, they are very shy and hide from most people. I don't have a picture of the other 3 but it is most likely that you'll find them on your journey. Great Pokémon, in all aspects." The old man stated, wisely. His granddaughter then approached Leaf.

"Hey, you want a Clefairy too? You can find them on Mount Moon. Jiggypuff and Nidoran are also near there, in Route 3! Though you can find Jigglypuff in Mt. Moon as well." she stated happily, while Leaf got even happier now.

"Okay Red! While we are on our way to Cerulean City, we need to pass through Mt. Moon. And I will definitely, DEFINITELY catch one of those cuties!" Leaf exclaimed to Red, who only smirked and nodded in response. "So, what about Nidoran and Jigglypuff?" Leaf asked, while the girl answered to her. "Nidoran it's a Poison type Pokémon that can be differentiated by its gender. The female one is more docile than the male one, and its body is blue. The male one is more aggressive and has a violet body. They evolve into Nidorina and Nidorino, who evolve with a Moon Stone." She said, while Leaf took note of her words. The female Nidoran could also be another great addition to her team.

"And…" the old man said, gaining everyone's attention. "Jigglypuff is a round, balloon like Pokémon with big eyes. It's almost as popular as Clefairy is right now. It has a pink body and if it inflates, you could jump on it and fly." Leaf looked even more eager right now. "Scratch that! I promise that I WILL catch a female Nidoran, a Jigglypuff and a Clefairy today!" Leaf exclaimed again, happily.

"Good luck young woman. I hope you'll be able to find them." The old man stated, while the girl smiled at her. Leaf nodded in response. "Thank you guys! I wouldn't have ever been able to know about them by myself." she said, gratitude on her voice. "But… Why isn't Jigglypuff as popular as Clefairy?"

"Well truth is… Clefairy isn't from this world." He said, while Red and Leaf widened their eyes. "What do you mean sir?" the blue eyed girl asked him. "Clefairy are said to come from the moon. Moon Stones, as well. It all comes down to this: A meteorite fell not too much ago, and from that, Mount Moon was formed. Apparently, Clefairy and all of its evolutionary lines came with it, Moon Stones as well. Also, Clefairy is one of the few Pokémon to be Fairy type, like Jigglypuff, who is Normal-Fairy." The old man affirmed, while Leaf took some time to process all this info.

"So you mean… Clefairy comes from the space and it has one of the most unusual types ever?" she asked, while the old man nodded. "To put it simply, yes, you are right." He said, sweatdropping a bit. Leaf widened her eyes again.

"WOAH! THAT IS SO COOL!" she said, stars on her eyes. Everyone looked at her in disbelief. "Okay Red, we're going now! We'll train a bit and then I am going to catch all of those three cuties!" the blue eyed girl said, in a bossy tone. Red knew better than to oppose her and nodded. "Thanks you two! I hope to see you again if we're nearby!"

And with that, she waved at them and stormed off, taking Red by his arms and making him blush slightly. Of course she didn't notice this as she was in her own world playing with Clefairy, Jigglypuff and Nidoran. Little did Leaf know that she was going in for quite a surprise.

* * *

 _Route 3, Kanto._

 _11:15 A.M_

"So… This is Route 3." Leaf affirmed while checking her map, Red nodding at her. "Hey, it's not going to be fair if I catch the Pokémon I want first. So, let's train for a bit!"

Red nodded to her, and they did the same routine as in Viridian Forest. Defeating wild Pokémon (Red also caught a male Nidoran but he didn't plan to keep it permanently on his team, much to Leaf's dismay as she thought her Nidoran (who she hadn't even met or caught yet) would have made the perfect couple with his), fighting against some trainers (including two or three youngsters that looked too young to have any Pokémon on them and never stopped blabbering about shorts) while also running and doing some exercises.

"I hate this." Leaf affirmed, panting. Not only the Pokémon were the ones that had to train themselves. Trainers also had to train in body, heart, mind and soul. Combine training adequately with close bonds with your Pokémon, and you will always persevere even in the hardest of battles.

"You have to do it. Like it or not." Red stated to her, while she made a face and stuck out his tongue to him. He only rolled his eyes in response.

"Oh… you'll see. I WILL show you that it's not necessary to do this." Leaf argued, while holding Bulbasaur's Pokeball in a battle stance. Red just looked at her curiously, and ordered Pikachu to get in front of him, while Leaf did the same with Bulbasaur.

"You're on Reddy! Bulbasaur, let's try out that new move! Use Take Down!"

Bulbasaur did as commanded and started running fast at Pikachu, who dodged the move rapidly.

"Iron Tail." Red commanded, Pikachu's tail glowing silver and hardening. But just when it was going to smash on Bulbasaur, Leaf took the chance to make another move.

"Grab Pikachu with Vine Whip!"

Bulbasaur proceeded to do as commanded and grabbed Pikachu with its vines, not letting go of him. "And now, fling it then use Vine Whip again!" Bulbasaur flung Pikachu but just when he was going to hit Pikachu again, Red ordered another move.

"Thundershock."

And with that, Pikachu glowed yellow and let out a jolt of electricity that almost hit Bulbasaur, who countered with another move.

"Use Razor Leaf!"

Both Pikachu's and Bulbasaur's attacks collided, creating a mini-explosion. Red looked at Leaf with a smug look, looking impressed.

"Not bad, for you." He said, while smirking a bit.

"Of course, I learned from both you and Blue! Wait… What? WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY RED!?" Leaf yelled at him, while grabbing Red by the neck of his shirt. He gulped in fear and just shook his head.

"N-nothing."

"That's better. Humph!" she said, while glaring at him. However, just as she said that, Leaf felt something tugging at her feet.

"Uh?"

"Nido?"

She looked down to see a light blue Pokémon curiously looking at her, with its back covered in spikes and had long ears. It looked very similar to a male Nidoran, so this could mean only one thing: It was the other gendered Nidoran. Leaf scanned it with her Pokedex

Nidoran, the Poison Pin Pokémon. Though small, it must be treated with caution because of its powerfully toxic barbs. The female has smaller horns." Exclaimed the Pokedex, while Leaf looked at the Pokémon at her feet with stars on her eyes.

"Say sweetie, do you need something in specific?" Leaf asked Nidoran, who nodded and tugged more closely to her feet.

"Nido!" she exclaimed happily, still tugging at her. Leaf was in awe. She never expected this to happen on her mind (or maybe yes)

"Uh? You want to come with me?" she asked the little Pokémon, who nodded at her, exclaiming another happy "Nido!"

"Oh wow... I never thought this would happen! Today's my lucky day for sure!" she said, happily. "Okay, but can I ask you something?"

The little blue Pokémon nodded at her, while she proceeded to ask her. "Just why would you like to join me? I don't think I deserve it, honestly…"

Nidoran was going to say something but before she could, Leaf interrupted her. "Or were you watching me battle my friend over there?"

Nidoran nodded at her this time around. She blushed a bit as she was embarrassed. No one had ever praised her battle skills except for Red today (albeit a bit sarcastically) and Nidoran. She felt truly happy by their words.

"Thank you, cutie pie! And you too, Red." Leaf affirmed, sticking her tongue out to him. He just rolled his eyes. "Let's wrap this up, then!" she said, while taking a Pokeball with her hands. She put it in front of Nidoran and the Poison Pin Pokémon tapped the center of the ball, willingly entering. The ball shook three times and a "click" sound could be heard. Nidoran then got out of the ball by herself and smiled at her new trainer. "Yeah! I caught a Nidoran!" Leaf exclaimed, while holding Nidoran's Pokeball in a fancy way, just like that guy on the TV who never wins a Pokemon League but makes friends with all of the legendary Pokemon.

"Wow, what an accomplishment." Said a passerby, who looked at her. A woman next to him nodded in agreement.

"Yeah! Oh Arceus, a Nidoran!"

Both of them glared at the two, who only scoffed and continued on their way. Nidoran looked crestfallen by this. However, Red approached her.

"Don't worry. You'll be strong in no time. She is a great trainer." Red said to Nidoran, while pointing to Leaf. The Poison Pin Pokémon smiled at him and nodded in return. Leaf put her hand on Red's shoulder and smiled at him, in gratitude. Leaf then proceeded to take Nidoran in her hands. But just as she was doing it…

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Red bluntly said to her, while she was confused.

"Why not?" she asked him, to which he replied to by telling her to read the Pokedex. She took a bit to process the information, then a light bulb appeared on her head, literally.

"So you say, I can carry Nidoran anyway, but if I touch those spikes she has there…" Leaf said, pointing to Nidoran's spikes. "It would be dangerous for me, right?"

Red nodded at her, while she just widened her eyes. "Fine… I'll be careful. Hey, why don't you let out your own Nidoran? Remember what I said?" Leaf asked Red, while giggling a bit. He sweatdropped a bit, not wanting to let his Nidoran out (Leaf's ideas sometimes went too far in things like this) but Leaf's puppy eyes convinced him. He sighed and let his Nidoran out. The two became friends pretty quickly, and were sooo cuteeee to watch. Or so said Leaf.

"See? I told you this was going to be a success!" she said, proud of herself. Red only nodded and muttered some nonsensical things while looking at both of the Nidoran. "Well, now that that's over let's continue to Mt. Moon. Clefairy and Jigglypuff, here I come!"

* * *

 _Route 3 PKMN Center, Kanto_

 _11:50 A.M_

Our heroes decided to take a break before entering Mount Moon. And what a better place than a Pokémon Center! Say, it was convenient to have one near Mt. Moon. Going back to Pewter after all that walking was certainly tiring, and hard. After getting some snacks, Red eventually sent his Nidoran to Professor Oak's, much to the dismay (again) of Leaf and her own Nidoran. He promised, however, that both of them would reunite again. Taking his word, he said his goodbyes to his Nidoran for the moment being. They also overheard an old man talking on the phone about some "Team Rocket" being in Mt. Moon, but they shrugged it off. After checking if they missed something else, both of them were walking to Mt. Moon's entrance. However…

"Hello there lad and young lady! I have a deal just for you! I'll let you have a secret Pokémon – Magikarp – for just 500 Poke! So you'll buy it, am I right?

"I'll let you know, we have those things for lunch sometimes. Let's stop wasting time with this man, Red." Leaf said, while Red nodded at her. However, the salesman wasn't going to give up just that easily.

"Wait! As I said, this Magikarp is special! It has a special ability not even one of them has!" he said, gaining the attention of both Red and Leaf again.

"And what would that be?" Leaf inquired, to which the salesman proceeded to release Magikarp from its Pokeball.

"It splashes harder!"

As he said this, Magikarp just stood there on the ground, splashing about and exclaiming its name.

"Karp!"

"Karp!"

"Karp!"

"You gotta be kidding me…" Leaf said, while facepalming. Red just stood there watching as Magikarp just continued using Splash. He decided to use the Pokedex on it.

"Magikarp, the Fish Pokémon. It is virtually worthless in terms of both power and speed. It is the most weak and pathetic Pokémon in the world. In the distant past, it was somewhat stronger than the horribly weak descendants that exist today." Exclaimed the Pokedex, while the salesman just gulped. Red chuckled at what the Pokedex said.

"Do you really think we'll waste 500 Poke on that thing?" Leaf asked, while pointing to Magikarp. The salesman was about to say something but he was interrupted.

"Yo! This Pokémon ain't nothin special yo! Where you get this crap at? I want my cash back, dude!" said a man, wearing a black uniform with a capital R in red. He also had black pants and cap. The salesman gulped again, but managed to get himself out of his predicament.

"Well, your loss. I'm only doing this as a favor to both of you." He said, while pointing to Leaf and Red. "And, as for you… Sorry, but I don't give refunds. You knew what you were getting. So, hasta la vista baby!"

And with that, he ran off, the other man chasing after him.

"Well… now that that's out of the way, let's go Red!" Leaf said, while Red nodded at her. After walking a bit they were in Mount Moon's entrance.

* * *

 _Mount Moon, Kanto_

 _12:10 P.M_

"Let's keep on the lookout, and see if we can find any Clefairy or Jigglypuff." Leaf ordered to Red, who nodded at her. They absolutely didn't have a clue about where they could be, so looking everywhere was the only option. On the first part of the cave, trainers challenged Red and Leaf to some battles. They won all of them and in turn their Pokémon looked all stronger, also learning some new moves. Charmander learned Dragon Rage, which was pretty useful in battles due to its raw power. Pikachu learned Double Team. On Leaf's side only Nidoran learned a new move, which was Helping Hand. Red also caught a Geodude, adding it to the Pokedex and preparing to send it to the Professor's after he and Leaf got to Cerulean City. Merrily walking, they continued.

"Hey… Do you hear that sound?" Leaf asked, with a worried tone. Her ear sense was quite powerful, to say at least. But Red heard it this time too. "Yeah." He replied to her, while looking around for the source of it. However, they didn't have to look anywhere anymore. A pack of wild Zubat and Golbat came flying into them!

"HOLY ARCEUS! TAKE COVER!" Leaf yelled, while hiding under a rock. Red and Pikachu did the same as well. However, Leaf was anything but safe. One of the Zubat landed on her face, accidentally.

"KYAAAAAAA! GET OFF ME YOU PIECE OF OVERGROWN RATTATA WITH WINGS!" Leaf yelled at the top of his lungs to the creature, who just screeched.

"ARCEUS! SHUT UP, WILL YOU!?" she yelled even harder, while Zubat used Supersonic on her, annoyed and screeching even harder. Zubat were well known for their Supersonic attack. It confused Pokémon, and made humans put their hands on their ears as it was terribly loud. Leaf, of course, wasn't prepared for this and got extremely dizzy, swirls on her eyes. Red took his Pokedex and scanned Zubat with it.

"Zubat, the Bat Pokémon. It has no eyes. Instead, it relies on its ultrasonic cries for echo location to flit about in darkness. It forms colonies in perpetually dark places and uses ultrasonic waves to identify and approach targets." Exclaimed the Pokedex. As if on cue, Zubat (who was scared and still in Leaf's face, much to her dismay) turned to where the sound of the Pokedex could be heard, but didn't exactly predict where the ultrasonic waves came. An idea brewed in Red's mind instantly. He looked down at Pikachu, who nodded at him understandingly.

The yellow mouse slowly approached Zubat and Leaf. Of course, Zubat could still hear him due to its use of ultrasonic waves, but Pikachu walked so slowly that no sound could be heard or detected. After it reached a good distance, it used Thundershock.

"Pika!"

The yellow mouse acted so quickly that Zubat couldn't dodge the attack. Of course, it also hit Leaf too but that was what Red intended to. Not in a bad way. Well… Yeah, maybe it was, but it wasn't at the same time.

Zubat almost instantly fell from her face, while Leaf's dizziness had subsided thanks to Thundershock. Red threw a Poke ball and Zubat was sucked inside. It wobbled three times and then a "click" sound could be heard. Satisfied, Red smiled and picked the Pokeball from the floor.

"Oww… was that really necessary, Red!?" Leaf asked the red eyed boy, who nodded at her. "Sigh… It could have been a lot worse, I guess. Just keep that thing away from me." She ordered, while pointing to Zubat's Pokeball. Red smirked evilly at her, while he released Zubat from its Pokeball.

The Bat Pokémon screeched at her, while she widened her eyes. "Eeek! RED, GET THAT THING AWAY FROM ME!" she yelled, pointing to Zubat. The Bat Pokémon just screeched harder at her, as if it was laughing. Leaf looked like she was going to faint. Chuckling, Red withdrawed Zubat to its Pokeball. "Oh… So you had your revenge not once, but twice. Hehehe… You'll see soon what plans I have in store for you, Reddy…" Leaf affirmed with a menacing tone in her voice. Red gulped and backed away in fear.

"But for now, let's keep going on!" she exclaimed, returning to her usual self. This left Red quite confused, but he decided to follow her anyway. They continued on to the second and final part of the cave.

As they ventured more and more, Red couldn't help but feel that something was wrong. And he was right. He could hear some voices nearby.

"Come on you idiots! Get into the cage RIGHT NOW!" yelled a man to someone, most probably a Pokémon. Both Red and Leaf widened their eyes when they heard this. "Did you just hear that, Red?" Leaf asked the boy beside her, who nodded at her while fixing his gaze to where the voice came from. "Do you think that we should see what's going on?" Leaf asked him again, while he stood there thinking for a bit, then nodding. They walked quickly to where the voice came from, and watched as man in a black uniform with a capital "R", black pants and black cap, (Just like the one the man who was expecting a refund from the Magikarp salesman had) lashed out against two Pokémon. There were many of them in other cages, most of them crying. Leaf had a look of horror on her face, as she recognized those Pokémon. She used her Pokedex, however, to confirm her doubts.

"Clefairy, the Fairy Pokémon. Its adorable appearance makes it popular as a pet. However, it is rare and difficult to find."

"Jigglypuff, the Balloon Pokémon. When its huge eyes light up, it sings a mysteriously soothing melody that lulls its enemies to sleep."

"So they're the Pokémon that I'm looking for…" Leaf thought aloud, while looking at them with a painful expression. Red looked at her and nodded weakly. They needed a plan to rescue them.

"I SAID, GET IN THE DAMN CAGE!" the man with the black uniform yelled again, while Clefairy and Jigglypuff shrieked in fear. Deciding he had enough, the man took a whip from his belt and whipped the two poor, little Pokémon, who cried in fear and sadness. It was an horrific sight. This, however, was the last straw needed for Red and Leaf

"Screw the plan. Let's charge in." Red ordered to Leaf, who was extremely angry right now. She nodded at him with a determined look and they entered where the man was. The place in question was somewhat similar to a crater. Looks like the things the old man said before were true, after all.

"YOU!" Leaf said to the man, who flinched at her voice. "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!?"

"Heh! That's nothing of your concern kid! Now, I suggest you stay out of adult business, or you will pay the consequences dearly…" the man said, with a menacing tone. However neither Red nor Leaf flinched at him.

"Oh, yeah? We'll see about that. Now, leave those Pokémon alone!" Leaf demanded, to which the man in black only smirked. As if on cue, four more of them appeared. Two men, two women. Two of them had weird objects in their hands.

"We finished collecting the fossils. Wha…? What the hell is going on here!?" one of the two women asked, furious.

"Well… It looks like we have two meddlesome brats who decided to interrupt us." Stated another one. "And no, we won't let them alone, you idiot. You know how hard is it to get close to a Clefairy? Jigglypuff not that much, but still…"

Leaf was going to say another thing, but before she could, Red interrupted her.

"Who are you?" he asked them, while a female grunt stepped in and answered his query.

"We are Team Rocket. We steal Pokémon for profit. Exploit Pokémon for profit. All Pokémon exist for the glory of Team Rocket."

Red widened his eyes at her bold statement. He dismissed the thought back when he heard the old man talk in the phone. But this Team Rocket, they didn't look like petty thieves. They knew what they were doing. Or at least, that's what it seemed.

"Did you seriously needed to say all of that?" a Rocket asked his female partner, sweatdropping. She just shrugged.

"YOU MONSTERS!" Leaf yelled at the top of her lungs, but didn't startle them. "THAT'S DISGUSTING! WHY WOULD YOU EVER DO THAT!?"

"Easy. Money. Profit. That is the only reason why we feel the need to do that. Whether you understand it or not, it's your call. Any obstacles in our path will be crushed." Stated another Rocket member.

"You…!" Leaf snarled at them, but before she could continue she was interrupted by another Rocket.

"Well, what will you do now? Will you fight, or will you run away with your tail between your legs?" she asked, while laughing.

Leaf looked at Red, and he nodded at her. A determined expression could be seen on both their faces.

"We'll fight!" Leaf yelled, while at the same time releasing Bulbasaur from its Pokeball. Red did the same with Pikachu, signaling him to enter the battlefield. The Rocket members released one Pokémon each. A Zubat, a Rattata, an Ekans, a Sandshrew and a Koffing. Red used his Pokedex on the three new Pokémon.

"Ekans, the Snake Pokémon. A very common sight in grassland, etc. It flicks its tongue in and out to sense danger in its surroundings. Moving silently and stealthily, it eats the eggs of birds, such as Pidgey and Spearow, whole."

"Sandshrew, the Mouse Pokémon. It burrows and lives underground, away from water. It only emerges to hunt for food. If threatened, it curls itself up into a ball for protection."

"Koffing, the Poison Gas Pokémon. It reeks when it is nearby. Because it stores several kinds of toxic gases in its body, it is prone to exploding without warning."

"Heh! You're terribly outnumbered, yet you still want to fight?" a Rocket asked mockingly to Red and Leaf. Red only replied to it by commanding a move.

"Thundershock."

In an instant, Pikachu let out a jolt of electricity that zapped Zubat tremendously, knocking it out almost instantly. The Rocket members just gulped at the sight.

"DAMN YOU!" The rocket member yelled and charged towards Red. Pikachu used Thundershock again, knocking him out.

"Humph. Not bad for a kid. Now, Sandshrew use Sand Attack!"

"Koffing, use Poison Gas!"

The combined effect of the two moves made it impossible for Red and Leaf to counterattack properly. Poison Gas didn't affect Bulbasaur, as he was part Poison type, but Pikachu was poisoned due to the move's effects.

"Ekans, use Poison Sting!"

"Rattata, Hyper Fang!"

The two Pokémon did as commanded and hit their respective targets. Rattata's Hyper Fang in particular did a lot of damage to Bulbasaur, taking quite a bit of its health.

"Ugh… If this continues we're going to lose!" stated Leaf to Red, who nodded at her with a thoughtful expression.

"Use Tackle, Bulbasaur!"

"Iron Tail."

Bulbasaur and Pikachu used their respective moves, but they were blocked by the same combo again. Sandshrew curled into a ball and deflected Bulbasaur, while Pikachu missed his attack.

"Sandshrew, use Sand Attack again!"

"Rattata, Bite!"

The ground mouse used Sand Attack, blinding Bulbasaur and Pikachu. Rattata then used the time remaining to use Bite on Pikachu, taking a bit of its health.

"Ekans, use Tackle!"

"You too, Koffing!"

Both Pokémon charged towards Bulbasaur, taking a lot of its health. Both Pikachu and Bulbasaur were on the verge of defeat, as fighting against four Pokémon at once was anything but easy. Red however, figured out something. They attacked in waves, two Pokémon attacked while the other two defended. Deciding to even things up, he released Charmander from his Pokeball too. Leaf watched as he did this, then did the same with Nidoran.

"More Pokémon, eh?" a male grunt asked, before continuing. "Whatever. It won't make a difference."

"Oh… But it will. You'll see that soon. Hehe…" Leaf said with a menacing tone. "Bulbasaur, use Razor Leaf! Nidoran, use Helping Hand and support Bulbasaur!

Bulbasaur used Razor Leaf, then Nidoran followed it by somehow, doing the same thing. The attack crashed on Sandshrew and Rattata, knocking them out cold.

"ARGHHH! How could I lose to a kid? Useless Pokémon! So much for being a lowly grunt!" a male grunt said, withdrawing Sandshrew. The other one withdrew Rattata without uttering a single word.

Red wasn't sure if Leaf understood the strategy Team Rocket used, attacking one after the other. But she sure knew how to coordinate the attacks of her Pokémon. Red took some inspiration from this, then did something similar.

"Ember, then Thundershock. Join them."

Charmander used Ember, then Pikachu used Thundershock on his attack. The two combined, created a somewhat orange electric beam which then striked at both Ekans and Koffing. It knocked out Ekans, but Koffing was somehow still standing.

"Bulbasaur, use Tackle! Nidoran, Helping Hand again!" Leaf commanded. But just at the last moment…

"Koffing, use Explosion! Everyone, retreat! Take the fossils and some of the Pokémon with you!" a grunt yelled at his partners, who nodded and took some cages from the ground.

"And as for you two…" he said, while pointing to Red and Leaf. "This won't be the last time you hear of Team Rocket. Prepare yourself for what it's going to come. Sayonara idiots!"

As he said this, Koffing quickly inflated itself then released a massive amount of energy, sending Red, Leaf and the Pokémon flying away…

* * *

 _Mount Moon, Kanto._

 _5:00 P.M_

Red felt a tremendous headache as he waked up. He inspected himself and upon closer inspection, he had some bruises on his arms and hands. He immediately looked around for Leaf and their Pokémon. He found them almost instantly, all of them were still fainted from the explosion. Waking the Pokémon first as they were more close by than Leaf, they woke up tremendously injured by the attack. He withdrawed each of them to their Pokeballs, to prevent further damage. He was sure Pikachu would hate him for this, but it was necessary. Neither Leaf nor he had any potions, as they used them while battling the other trainers. After returning them back to their balls, he frantically approached Leaf.

"Wake up!" Red said, while shaking her awake. She still wasn't responding.

"Please, wake up Leaf!" he exclaimed again, with a lot of fear. This time though, she waked up.

"Yawn… I truly needed some sleeping..." Leaf affirmed, while Red sweatdropped at her. "Uh? Mount Moon? I remember now! What happened, Red? Where are Bulbasaur and the others!? What happened with Team Rocket? Where are the Clefairy and Jigglypuff!?" She asked frantically, in panic. Red shook her, and she calmed down.

"A Koffing used Explosion. Team Rocket escaped. The Pokémon are here, badly injured though." Red explained to her, slowly. She had a look of worry on her face.

"Arceus! We need to get to a Pokémon Center ASAP!" she exclaimed, panicking again. "What about Clefairy and Jigglypuff?"

"Leaf. Calm down." Red ordered her while giving her "The Glare"

"I'll calm down. Don't worry. I'm cool. Not to worry." She said, in fear of Red's glare. Red smiled satisfied.

"I don't know about them. But I hope they're fine."

As if on cue, the two cute and pink Pokémon appeared with a lot of Oran Berries. They smiled at Red and Leaf, and handed them the berries.

"Clef, Clefairy!

"Puff!"

"Oh wow! Thank you so much!" Leaf exclaimed at both of them, who nodded gratefully at her. "But what about the others?" she asked to which Clefairy and Jigglypuff pointed somewhere, indicating they were fine. "I understand… But, forgive me you two. I wasn't able to help all of you get away, and those who they took will now be turned in bad Pokémon or worse, suffer a lot of torture." Leaf stated, while some tears appeared on her face.

The two pink Pokémon looked tremendously touched by this, and approached Leaf, hugging her. She returned the hug with a smile, and they stayed like that for a long while. Red smiled at the sight, and took the berries, giving them to both of their Pokemon. After that, he suddenly turned his attention towards something on the ground. An odd helix spiraled thing that looked a lot like Omastar's shell, was on the floor. Red widened his eyes as a sudden thought went through his mind: That, was a fossil. More exactly, Omastar's fossil. Seeing as it wouldn't have any good use in Team Rocket, Red decided to pick it. After he did so, he heard Leaf's voice calling out to him.

"Hey, Red! Look at my new friends!" she said, while pointing at Clefairy and Jigglypuff, who smiled at him. Red smiled back at them and waved. "Don't worry girls! He's just a prude! He's a pretty nice guy once you meet him!" she stated, while sticking her tongue out at him and making a strange sound. Red rolled his eyes at her and looked away.

 _"She did accomplish her goals today, in the end."_ Red thought to himself after seeing Leaf merrily talking to Jigglypuff and Clefairy.

"Well, let's continue then! Wh-" she was going to continue, but as she stood up, Leaf fell to the ground.

"Aghh! Why me, Arceus!?" Leaf exclaimed while looking at her right foot. It hurted her a lot, and she couldn't walk. Almost immediately, Red rushed to her.

"You okay?" he asked her, while she nodded.

"Yeah, but I can't walk now… I think I fractured my ankle during the explosion. It hurts a lot…"

Red immediately pulled a bandage from his backpack and wrapped it around Leaf's foot. She, Clefairy and Jigglypuff looked in awe as he did this. He looked quite experienced and did it quite fast.

"Until we get to Cerulean, stay with that. It will help you." Red affirmed, while he stood up again and gave her his hand, blushing slightly. "You can lean on me, until we get there."

Leaf hugged him, making him blush harder.

"Thanks, Red! You're a real life saver! Now you going to be a doctor or something?" she asked him, while he smiled sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. Both fairy Pokémon looked as he blushed, and they immediately knew that he had a crush on her. They started gossiping in their own language.

And so… Our heroes continued their way to Cerulean City, new friends in tow. Many adventures (and weird situations) await them!

* * *

And that's it for now! I hope you liked this chapter as always! Sorry if I hadn't updated in a bit, as I was traveling for the last days of my vacation. School is approaching…

As for some of this chapter's ideas, these are the reasons behind them:

Fairy type: It is as normal as any of the other Pokémon types. Forget that it just came with Gen 6! It has always been there even if we didn't notice it.

Pokémon & new moves: Like the games, once the Pokémon gains a certain level of strength, it can learn a new move. Also, like the anime, they can learn new moves if they are in a tense situation (like Pikachu vs Onix last chapter) or by practicing their own moves in a specific way. Sometimes, Pokémon will learn moves earlier than usual (such as Bulbasaur's Razor Leaf and Nidoran's Helping Hand) As for the Pokémon's movesets, they will all be taken from ORAS or in some cases, other games. (For example, Charmander only learned Metal Claw through leveling up in FR/LG but after that game it never learned it again.

Zubat: There are many theories that real life bats are actually a family of rats or mice that evolved with the pass of time (growing wings and learning to fly in the process) and they are now bats. So I thought, why not?

Jigglypuff: Yeah, I know wild Jigglypuff don't appear on Mount Moon. Instead, they appear in Route 3. But this was necessary to add some more plot to this chapter.

Team Rocket: They will have a harsher language than in the games. This is to reflect their true nature, which is profiting from Pokémon, in any possible way. In most of these encounters, they will probably be doing their misdeeds, but may go just a bit too far. Giovanni himself will have a personality which is more geared towards the one he has in the manga. That is, he will be much more ruthless and brutal than he is on the games. Though he still may have some degree of ethic. Also, in Gen 1, the Rocket Grunt trainer class had a whip on their sprite. Again, I thought: Why not?

Helix Fossil: Praise Lord Helix! Or whatever that is, I don't really understand the concept of Twitch Plays Pokémon. It looks interesting, but I just can't understand it. Don't worry, the other fossil will appear later on the history.

Thanks for all your support as always, and have a good weekend. See you next time!


	6. Da Golden Bridge Thang

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own Pokémon! Pokémon and all its associated trademarks belong to Gamefreak and Nintendo. Cover isn't mine either, rights belong to its author.

* * *

 _ **Review Corner**_

 _ **Guest:**_ Wow! What a coincidence xD! Yeah… Red's cute side can only be brought out by Leaf, it seems. Team Rocket will learn their lesson soon enough. (Or maybe not? *cough* Gen 2 *cough*) and speaking of Gen 2, you just gave me a tremendous idea for my Johto story! (Which is after Hoenn, which is after this one). You have the Pokegear in those games. Well, maybe in some events the characters can broadcast a message like this: #StopTeamRocket and random things will happen right after that! Imagine Rockets replying to that. I hope you enjoy this chapter as always!

 _ **Ebony Void:**_ Again, thank you so much for your kind words! I hope you enjoy this chapter as always!

 _ **QUEENSPELLER67:**_ Yeah... That yellow rat sure is a handful. Behind that cute exterior, lies an evil Pokemon, like no other... Jokes aside, I hope you enjoy this chapter as always!

Also, thanks all of you! This story has now 500 views! After I publish a chapter, I kinda get like 100 views or so. Again thanks for all of your support, and stay tuned for what is to come next!

* * *

 _ **Last time on The Crimson Legend…**_

 _After Red shockingly woke up (and by shockingly, I mean Leaf ordered Pikachu to use Thundershock on him) he and Leaf got ready for a trip to the Pewter Museum of Science. "It's going to be soo interesting!" Leaf said, while Red just groaned. In truth however, Leaf ended up being scared by the exhibits the fossils from prehistoric Pokémon while Red was truly interested in them. The two of them made quite a scene, (more like Red getting his revenge for earlier) making most of the people there look at them, to their embarrassment. But that's not all. They were going to be expelled from the museum if they made another scene. So, for now, they decided to stay quiet. They eventually reached the museum's second floor and, as they were admiring an space shuttle, an old man approached them. He then proceeded to show them the Moon Stone and the cutest Pokémon in existence (or so Leaf said), Clefairy. Promising herself that she will not only catch Clefairy, but also two other Pokémon that evolved with a Moon Stone, Jigglypuff and Nidoran, Leaf dragged Red outside of the museum and proceeded to Route 3._

 _After training and a short battle between both of them, Leaf didn't have to look anywhere. A Nidoran was impressed by her strength and asked to join her. Leaf accepted happily, and they proceeded to their next stop- Mt. Moon. In the Pokémon Center near Mt. Moon, they encountered a weird Magikarp salesman and a man with a black uniform that had a capital R on red on it. Red also heard something about some "Team Rocket" being in Mt. Moon. He only shrugged it off, though. They reached the Mt. Moon cave and battled against some trainers. Wild Zubat appeared too!_

 _They were nearly at the end of the cave, when suddenly they heard the sound of a man yelling and Pokémon crying. There, they saw the same people with the black uniform and the capital R in red abusing a Clefairy and a Jigglypuff. Not standing for such acts, Leaf and Red rose up to fight against him. He wasn't alone however, as 4 more members approached and joined him. After a hard fought battle they managed to defeat them. However, they escaped (taking with them one of the fossils that was said to revive the prehistoric Pokémon and some Jigglypuff and Clefairy) and a Koffing belonging to one of the grunts blew up using Explosion. Some hours later they managed to wake up again. Most of the Jigglypuff and Clefairy managed to escape, while the two who were being abused by the Rocket grunt approached our heroes and joined Leaf's team. However, as a result of the explosion Leaf injured her ankle and Doctor Red had to come into play. And that brings us to the current time…_

 _Route 4, Kanto._

 _5:30 P.M_

"So you think that thing is one of the prehistoric Pokémon we saw in the morning, specifically the one called Omastar?" Leaf asked Red, while leaning on him for support and Clefairy on her shoulder. Red nodded in response, holding Jigglypuff in the same position. Yes, he looked terribly gay and weird. Or so the others said. But he didn't mind even a little bit the looks and words the others were throwing at him. As Pikachu and the others were injured from the Explosion, Leaf took the liberty of giving Jigglypuff to him, telling him to "learn how to cope with girls" while laughing at the same time. He just rolled his eyes at her, but accepted nonetheless. The Pink balloon Pokémon also looked happy, so nothing was wrong.

"Wow… I never imagined that you could really revive them…" Leaf stated, in awe. Red nodded at her again. "A Pokémon like that will surely do great in battles."

Red nodded at her again, while she continued. "But keep it away from me. That is an order, Red." The blue eyed girl commanded, but Red only smirked at her. "NO! I MEAN IT RED! KEEP THAT THING AWAY FROM ME IF YOU REVIVE IT!" She ordered again, while Red only laughed. "If you do, then I promise I won't prank you again. Pinkie promise?"

Red looked at her, satisfied, and promised her that he won't keep Omastar near her. She smiled at him and nodded. But unknowing to him, she was just plotting another way to get him next. " _Hehee… Just you wait. You'll pay, Red. Haha. Hahaha. HAHAHAHAHAHAH!"_ Leaf thought, while smirking to herself.

"Why the evil movie laugh?" Red asked her, while she just widened her eyes. "N-no! I-it's nothing! Don't w-worry Red!" Leaf said while widening her eyes. Red just sweatdropped and nodded at her.

"Well, let's continue on to Cerulean then!" Leaf said, cheerfully. Red nodded at her with a smile and they continued their way. Not too long after, they managed to reach the city.

* * *

 _Cerulean City, Kanto._

 _5:45 P.M_

"Whew… We finally got here, at last." Leaf said, while Red nodded at her. A sign near them affirmed this.

" _Welcome to Cerulean City, the Floral Lagoon City."_

"We better hurry to the Pokémon Center. Both the Pokémon and I need assistance…" Leaf said, in a sad tone. Red nodded and they proceeded to ask the directions to the building. After a bit, they managed to get there and entered.

"Hello, and welcome to the Pokémon Center. Do you want me to-" said a nurse, but just as she was going to continue, she was interrupted by Leaf.

"YES! OUR POKEMON ARE TREMENDOUSLY INJURED! NOW TAKE THE POKEBALLS AND DO YOUR WORK! I BEG YOU!" Leaf yelled at her, while everyone else just sweatdropped. "AND A DOCTOR PLEASE! MY ANKLE IS INJURED!"

Sighing, the nurse took the Pokeballs from both Red and Leaf and pointed to a room another part of the Pokémon Center, where people (and not Pokémon) were treated. Red bowed as thanks while Leaf followed suit and followed the way the nurse pointed out to them. They were greeted by another nurse, who ordered them to sit down and wait for their turn.

"Groan… I hate going to the doctor…" Leaf pouted, frowning. Red just rolled his eyes at her. "It's for your own good." He replied to her, as a matter of fact. But this wasn't enough for Leaf.

"You don't know a thing! How many times did you have to be injected with a needle on your butt, eh Red!? Things like that just traumatize you!" Leaf yelled at him, while he sweatdropped. He just shrugged his shoulders, indicating he didn't remember.

"That's what I thought. Hmph." Leaf replied to him, while he rolled his eyes at her. In truth, he had been through that a lot of times when he was just a child. But it didn't traumatize him like how it did for Leaf. (Or so she said)

They waited for 15 minutes or so until their turn was up. They then entered a small room, where a doctor was waiting for them.

"Thank you for waiting. We have successfully healed your Pokem- Oh, wait! That isn't what I'm supposed to say!" The doctor corrected himself, while smiling sheepishly. Red and Leaf sweatdropped at him.

"Don't worry. It's just that I'm new to this job. I worked at the Pokémon area before. Hahaha…"

"It's fine Doc. Well, I'll get to the point. We're here because I injured my ankle during while we were travelling through Mt. Moon. What can I do!?" Leaf asked worriedly, while the doctor remained calm.

"First, I will take an image of your bones using the X-ray machine over there." The doctor stated, while pointing to the machine. Leaf nodded at him while Red looked curiously. "Then, I will determine if the injury is serious or if it can be healed in just a few days."

"Okay, I understand. I just hope it isn't that bad…" Leaf said while taking off the bandages that Red put on her foot. After some minutes, the doctor finished all of the necessary exams and told Leaf and Red to wait outside.

"Arceus… I hate waiting here. The atmosphere is just so tense!" Leaf stated to Red, who nodded in reply. "What if I have to use a crutch for a long time? Or a cast!? I don't want to!" She again exclaimed to Red, who closed his eyes and shook his head at her antics.

"Calm down. I know you'll be ok." He replied to her, while putting his hand on her shoulder. She managed to calm down just a bit. After 5 minutes or so, the doctor called for them again.

"I have good news and bad news. Which would you like to hear first?"

"The good news first, I suppose." Leaf replied to him, while he nodded. But just as he was going to start talking, Red interrupted him.

"No, the bad news first."

"But, why?" Leaf asked him, confused.

"It's better." Red answered her, while she had a bewildered look on her face.

"No, it isn't."

"Yes, it is."

"No, it isn't Red!"

"Yes, Leaf."

"Of course not!"

"Of course it is."

"NO, GOOD NEWS ARE BETTER!"

"Will you two please stop!?" The doctor asked our heroes, annoyed. Red and Leaf immediately stopped, embarrassed. After the doctor eyed them for a bit, he let out a "Hmph." and continued with his explanation.

"Okay. The good news is that it isn't anything serious and in a week of good rest you will be just fine. The bad news is that you will have to wear a cast for those 4 days and also, you will need a crutch to walk properly."

"WHAT!? So much for the good news…" Leaf complained. Red chuckled a bit and after a bit the doctor put the cast on Leaf's foot and gave her two crutches.

"When the week has passed, you should come over here and I'll get rid of those things for you. Until then, stay safe you two."

"Okay, thanks doctor!" Leaf said, while Red bowed in gratitude. The doctor waved at them and they continued their way to the "Pokémon" area. Immediately, they asked the nurse about the condition of their Pokémon, also asking for a room.

"Hello. Your Pokémon will need recovering a bit more. But they should be ready for tomorrow morning."

"It's fine." Red replied to her, while she nodded. But just as they were leaving for their room, she called for them.

"Hey, wait!" The nurse exclaimed to them, while both of them turned to face her. "How exactly did your Pokémon get injured like that?"

"Well, we-" Leaf started, but Red interrupted her. "We fought against some trainers in Mt. Moon and lost. We didn't have any Potions."

"Oh… I understand. It's just that there was an explosion there and many people said they saw Team Rocket over there. Maybe they were the culprits. Anyways, don't worry about it! Sorry for taking your time."

"It's fine nurse! Don't worry. C'mon let's go Red! I need to rest, you know!" Leaf said in a bossy tone while Red just rolled his eyes at her. Walking a bit more (though Leaf had a lot of difficulty getting used to walking with the crutches) they finally reached their room. The nurse had been so kind as to give them a room that wasn't in an upper floor, due to Leaf's condition.

"Whew… We're finally here. I hate walking with these things!" As Leaf said this, she tossed the crutches around. But as she did this Leaf lost her balance and accidentally fell down on Red, their faces almost colliding.

"Oi! Hello there Reddy!" Leaf said without a hint of embarrassment. Red however, had his face colored just as his name suggested. "H-hello." was all Red managed to muster, looking incredibly flustered. Leaf realized this, but just shrugged it off as if it were nothing.

"Hey, no need to get all flustered by this! Things like this happen normally, you know?" Leaf asked him, while he nodded at her, still blushing. "You're soo much fun to mess with, you know? Hahaha!"

Red uttered a "Hmph." and got up from the floor.

"Hey! No fair! Are you going to leave me behind!?" Leaf yelled at him. He gave her his hand, still blushing.

"Thanks, I guess." She replied to him while sticking out her tongue. He subsequently helped Leaf get on her bed and turned the TV on. Red then left for the door, but Leaf suddenly called out to him.

"Hey, where are you going?" Leaf asked to her red eyed companion who turned around to face her.

"To the café." Red replied, yawning.

"Okay. Were you going to bring food for me?" Leaf asked, while Red nodded at her. "Giggle… Thanks, Red! I'll be waiting for you here, then!"

Red nodded to her, smiling and proceeded to the café. There, he took some sandwiches for Leaf and him, putting them on a tray. While he did this he saw a bottle of Ketchup and remembered Pikachu's love for it. It sure was weird for a Pokémon to like that. The current condition of Leaf's and his Pokémon suddenly got to his mind. Maybe they will be mad at both of them when the nurse hands them over to the two friends. Sure, they couldn't do anything as it was pretty quick but still it was a reason for them to hate them. Or so Red thought. Shaking those thoughts from his head, he continued to the bedroom. While he was nearing, he heard someone crying. Quickly, he opened the door, only to find that it was Leaf.

"Oh… sniff… you arrived, Red."

He looked questioningly at her, wanting to know the reason why she was crying. However, once he took a peek at the TV, he instantly knew why. The movie adaptation of her favorite book, the Pokémon Mystery, was airing. A human awakens one day as a Pokémon, more specifically a Squirtle. The human then befriends a nearby Charmander, who also happened to be the one who woke him up. The two then become very, very close friends and together form a Pokémon Rescue Team. They go through a lot together, eventually even saving the world from a meteorite. However, as they finally do this, the human's purpose is fulfilled and he has to return to his own world. Their farewell is a tremendously emotional affair. Even people with the most hardened hearts shed tears watching that. But luckily, the human returns after seeing the pain his friend had and they continue with their adventures.

"Wow… the movie is soo… cool!" Leaf said while sobbing. "Everything just looks so real!"

Red sweatdropped at her comment.

"It's a shame that when I encountered it, the movie was already halfway…" She stated with a sad face.

"Don't worry. Maybe someday." Red said to her while putting his hand on her shoulder.

"Yeah… I hope so…"

"Hey, what did you bring for me?" Leaf asked curiously. Red gave Leaf her sandwiches, while she happily took them. "Thanks Reddy!" She said gratefully, while Red nodded. However, just as she bit it, a piece of salad came off the sandwich.

"Uh? You expect me to eat this thing?" Leaf asked him, while he nodded. She frowned and tossed it on her tray.

"It's for your own good." Red reasoned with her.

"I don't think so. Also, you're not my mom. You can't force me to eat vegetables." Leaf said, as a matter of fact. Red just rolled his eyes at her.

"It's your call. But it will help you with your ankle." Red said to her, while smirking.

"For real!?" Leaf asked him, while he only nodded his head in response.

"Well, if you say so… I will try it then." Leaf said while picking up the salad. "Hmm… It's not that bad." She continued, food on her mouth. Red laughed at her.

" _I don't really think it will help her… But it worked! She fell for it! Hahahahaha!"_ Red thought to himself.

"What are you laughing about?" Leaf asked him. He rapidly shook his head, a little embarrassed. Leaf just shrugged and continued eating, Red doing the same.

After they finished they continued watching movies and the like, laughing a lot. The night went by and eventually the two of them felt sleepy.

"Yawn… Hey, what will you do tomorrow?" Leaf asked her friend.

"I'll train my Pokémon a bit. Take the day off." He replied to her.

"Okay… I understand. I would like to train with you but I can't because I have this piece of crap on my foot…" Leaf angrily said, pointing to the cast.

"Well… you can go. Just command your Pokémon and stay out of their way for your own safety. I'll take care of the rest." Red affirmed to her while she nodded.

"Okay, then! We'll do it like that." Leaf happily stated, while Red nodded at her. "Hey..." Leaf continued, Red looking expectantly at her. "Do you think we'll encounter those goons again? Why did you lie to the nurse?

Red pondered for a bit before answering to her. "Maybe. They did say that wasn't going to be the last time we saw them. Who knows?"

Leaf nodded at him, while he continued. "As for that, it was the wise choice. If we said that it was them, then we would have been in bigger trouble."

Leaf thought for a bit then nodded at her friend, understanding. "Thanks for answering, Red! Well, I'm going to sleep now. Good night!"

"Likewise. Good night, Leaf."

* * *

 _Cerulean City Pokémon Center_

 _9:35 A.M_

"Yawn... Good morning Red! Uh? Red?" Leaf asked, looking for him. She turned around and saw that he was still sleeping comfortably on his bed. A sudden thought went through Leaf's head.

"Hohoho... This'll be good!"

As she said this, she picked one of her crutches and started hitting Red on the back with them. Of course, she didn't do it hard, lest she incur the wrath of the champion of yore. Or maybe not.

"WAKEY WAKEY SLEEPY HEAD!" She yelled at him.

"Ouch..." was all Red managed to muster, in pain.

"Hahaha! Good morning!"

"Augh... Good Morning… Leaf." Red said glaring at Leaf, but she shrugged it off. He got up from his bed and immediately went to the shower. After 20 minutes or so they were both ready to have breakfast. After having breakfast they proceeded to the main area in the Pokémon Center to pick up their Pokémon.

"Hello, and welcome to the Pokémon Center. Do you want me to-" the nurse said, with a sleepy tone. "Oh, wait! It's you two! Hehe…" the nurse continued, while sweatdropping.

"What's up with the people that work here? They always seem to forget their lines…" Leaf said to Red while rolling her eyes, he only nodded in response. The nurse went to a room not too far and brought them their Pokeballs.

"Here they are. Healthy and fighting fit. We hope to see you again!" the nurse stated happily, while Red and Leaf bowed in gratitude.

"Thanks, nurse!"

After expressing their gratitude both our heroes released their Pokémon. When they fully materialized, they were looking at the ground steadily, except for Jigglypuff and Clefairy, who were happy and at the same time, confused about the behavior of the others.

"We're so sorry! If it weren't for those blasted Rockets…" Leaf said looking at the ground steadily, while Red did the same. The Pokémon quickly gathered around their trainers and hugged them tightly. The trainers did the same, remaining like that for quite some time. Though their body was hurt, their heart wasn't. True bonds will never be destroyed.

After that was over with, Red proceeded to send Geodude and Zubat to the Professor.

"Well, let's go!" Leaf exclaimed happily to him, Jigglypuff on her shoulder and Clefairy on her hands. He nodded at her and our two heroes got out from the Pokémon Center. Outside, they see two nearby buildings. A flower shop and a bike shop. Curious to know if he could buy one, he pointed at it, making sure Leaf saw him. She nodded and they proceeded to enter it. Leaf still had difficulties walking with crutches, as she nearly fell on Red two or three times, much to his dismay. When they entered the shop they were received by a man that looked around the age of 40. Probably the owner.

"Hello, and welcome to the Cerulean City bike shop. How could I help you?"

"Hi! How much is it for a new bike?" Leaf asked while Red nodded at the man. Oh boy… They didn't know the surprise they were about to get…

"1,000,000 Poke, if you please." the man said with a calm expression. Red and Leaf's jaws fell to the floor.

"1,000,000 POKE!? THAT CAN'T BE! THAT THING IS SO EXPENSIVE!?" Leaf yelled at the man, making him deaf for some seconds. Red only widened his eyes.

"Well, that's the price it has girl. I can't make any exceptions for you or your friend." the man replied to her, as a matter of fact. "Unless you have either the money or a bike voucher, there is no bike for you."

"Groan... Thanks, anyway. Let's go Red…" Leaf said in a sad tone. Red nodded and followed her outside.

"How can that thing be so expensive?" Leaf asked Red, while he shrugged his shoulders in response, indicating he didn't have a single clue. "But maybe… when you become Champion you could afford one! Don't you think?"

Red nodded at her, smiling. "And maybe when you become Champion you could buy me all the things I want too! That's even better than the bike!" Leaf said jokingly, while Red rolled his eyes in response. After walking a bit more, they reached Route 4, where they would train. But before that, Leaf decided to get more info on Clefairy and Jigglypuff's moves and abilities. She quickly pressed the "info" button on her Pokedex.

"Jigglypuff's gender is female and its ability is Cute Charm. Current moves are Disable, Disarming Voice, Pound and Play Nice."

"Clefairy's gender is female and its ability is Magic Guard. Current moves are Disarming Voice, Sing, Double Slap and Defense Curl."

"Well… they could have had better moves…" Leaf said while sweatdropping. The two pink Pokémon looked at her curiously. "But don't worry! We can work on that!" she exclaimed in a determined tone, while Jigglypuff and Clefairy exclaimed their names happily.

After battling against passerby trainers and wild Pokémon, (Leaf catching an Ekans, almost falling to the ground again) an hour had passed. Deciding that it was enough for today, our heroes let their Pokémon rest for some time. Red was obviously more exhausted than Leaf, who only commanded her Pokémon in the distance, while he did most of the job. Poor Red. After they were ready to go, our heroes continued their way to Cerulean City. However, they stumbled upon two particular individuals who were yelling at each other.

"NO! KICKING IS BETTER!

"OF COURSE NOT! YOU WOULND'T UNDERSTAND THE WAY OF PUNCHING ANYWAY!"

Leaf and Red turned away from them instantly to evade being caught up in their conversation. They didn't completely understand of what they were talking about, either. But suddenly…

"HEY YOU TWO!" Both of them yelled at the same time, while Leaf and Red turned to face them.

"Y-yes?" Leaf said, a bit scared

"WHAT DO YOU THINK IT'S BETTER, PUNCHING OR KICKING?

"Umm... Well I don't really know. Both are good depending on the situation, I guess. Haha…" Leaf said, while laughing nerviously.

"SEE! I TOLD YOU!" Both of them exclaimed at the same time.

"HUH!?" Again the both of them yelled at the same time.

"HEY! STOP COPYING ME!"

"I MEAN IT!"

"Umm... We'll go now, if you don't mind." Leaf excused herself but just as she was going to grab Red's arm and storm off…

"WAIT!" The both of them said at the same time, while getting near to Red and Leaf's faces. Maybe too near.

"HOW ABOUT WE TEACH YOUR POKEMON SOME GOOD MOVES?"

This got Red curious, while Leaf waited for them to continue their explanation.

"I'LL TEACH YOUR POKEMON A TERRIFIC PUNCH PACKED WITH POWER- MEGA PUNCH!"

"AND I'LL TEACH YOUR POKEMON A TREMENDOUS KICK PACKED WITH DESTRUCTIVE POWER- MEGA KICK!"

"SO WILL YOU PLEASE LET US!?" Both of them said at the same time.

"Umm... its fine I guess." Leaf said, while Red nodded at them. Jigglypuff learned Mega Punch while Clefairy learned Mega Kick. Sure, weird kind of attacks to have on Pokémon like those two cuties. But they were extremely powerful moves, so it didn't matter to Leaf. Red did the same with Pikachu and Charmander. Thirty minutes later and they were all set and done.

"YES!" The punching guy said, pumping his fist.

"HEY... BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN ANYTHING! I SHALL SHOW YOU THAT KICKING IS WAY BETTER THAN PUNCHING!" the kicking guy retorted.

"OH, SURE…" the punching guy said sarcastically. "SOON… YOU'LL SEE!"

He then ran off looking for new opinions on his "poll"

"HEY WAIT FOR ME!"

And with that, the two of them stormed off to parts unknown.

"Well… that was unexpected…" Leaf said while she and Red sweatdropped. "We should go back to the Pokémon Center. I'm hungry…"

As if on cue, Leaf's stomach growled, and everyone started laughing. Our heroes continued their way to the Pokémon Center, and arrived after some minutes. After they had lunch, they continued lazing around (well, resting in Leaf's case) watching TV. Eventually, Red decided to go out there, as he had an idea. Maybe a little gift would make Leaf feel happier, having to worry about the cast and having to walk with crutches for the moment being. Maybe one for his mom too, as he hadn't called her yet since he began his journey.

"I'll be out for a while." Red said to his companion, who nodded in response. "Can I go with you?" she asked in response, but he shook his head.

"You should stay. You can't overexert yourself."

"But please!" Leaf pleaded, but again he shook his head.

"As I said, you can't overexert yourself. You trained so you should be resting for now."

"Sigh... Okay, then. I understand…" Leaf said in a sad tone.

"I will come back soon. I promise." Red replied to her, while she nodded, a smile on her face.

Red waved at her and continued on his way. Where was he going, you ask? Well, there's no better place for a gift than the flower shop, of course! Well, if you are a girl, that is. With Pikachu on tow, (And Charmander too, but if he let out the fire lizard in there then things would have gotten quite ugly…) he continued walking until he reached his destination.

* * *

 _Cerulean City Flower Shop, Kanto_

 _3:00 pm_

"Hello, and welcome to the Cerulean City flower shop. How could I help you?" a girl that looked around 20 asked, cheerfully.

"Do you have any Hoennian Flowers? Also, Sunflowers?" Red asked the girl.

"Why, yes we have! You can find them there." she replied while pointing to an assorted bunch of flowers.

"Thanks." Red said while he bowed. He then chose the flowers, Pikachu helping him. The girl was in shock after watching the coordination between the two. Though there was some bickering between the two initially, they managed to overcome that and together made two pretty bouquets of flowers.

"Oh, wow! Such a pretty combination!" the girl said, admiring the both trainer and Pokémon's work.

"Thanks…" Red replied to her, a little embarrassed. Pikachu just let out a happy "Pika!" and smiled to the girl.

The girl proceeded to make the bill. While she was doing so, Red was petting his yellow friend, much to the Pokémon's delight. The girl kept watching them for a bit, then spoke up.

"Hey, can I ask you a favor?" Red nodded to her, while she continued. "I know this is all of a sudden, but could you please take care of this Bulbasaur?"

As she said this, she handed him a Pokeball. He was quite surprised and widened his eyes at the thought.

"Your bond with that Pikachu is so strong! Obviously you're not someone who would treat Pokémon in a harsh way. I also take care of injured or sick Pokémon that are wandering. But I can't have Bulbasaur… there's almost no room here…" the girl said, in a sad tone, while Red nodded. He pondered for a bit then nodded again, accepting the Pokeball. The girl smiled in gratitude.

"Thanks! I hope that you and Bulbasaur will be great friends!" the girl stated, while Red nodded to her, smiling.

Red then released Bulbasaur from its Pokeball. The Pokémon glared at Red almost instantly, surprising him. He did the same, and the two remained like that for quite some time, much to the girl's and Pikachu's dismay. The Bulbasaur gave up eventually, scoffing while exclaiming its name. Red sighed, and scanned the grass type Pokémon with his Pokedex. After the usual lines, he pushed the "Info" button.

"This Bulbasaur is male. Its ability is Overgrow and its moves are Vine Whip, Take Down, Tackle and Sleep Powder."

Red looked pleased by Bulbasaur's experience. Some training and maybe, it could be just as powerful as Leaf's Bulbasaur was. However, the Seed Pokémon's attitude was far from friendly.

"About that… "the girl said, sweatdropping. "Bulbasaur is a handful. But don't let that deter you. I'm pretty sure that you will be able to open his heart." Red nodded at her, understandingly. The Seed Pokémon only scoffed at him again. Sighing, Red returned him to his Pokeball. But, the Seed Pokemon evaded the flash of red light emitted by it, instead running around the flower shop. Red started chasing after him, much to the dismay of the girl and Pikachu. He tripped several times whilst doing so, Bulbasaur laughing at each time. After a bit, Pikachu decided that it was enough and used Thunder Wave on the Seed Pokemon, paralyzing it. Red nodded to the yellow mouse as thanks and withdrawed Bulbasaur to his Pokeball. The girl scurried to where Red was and helped him stand up.

"Sigh... Please, forgive me. It's my fault that Bulbasaur caused all of this..."

"Don't worry. It's nothing." Red said, smiling to her. The girl nodded in response.

Our hero then paid the flowers, but requested to leave them there as he still had things to do. He then said his goodbyes for the moment being, returningd outside. He first went to the Pokemart to buy some potions and a Paralysis Heal for Bulbasaur, applying it on the Seed Pokemon immediately. After that he continued walking towards the north direction of the city, until a golden bridge was in sight. The view was awe-inspiring. Never had Red seen a place as beautiful as this. The moment was perfect… Until someone who Red knew came and shook him from his thoughts.

"Yo! Red! You're still struggling along back here?" Blue asked him, while Red shook his head, annoyed. Blue smirked and continued.

"I'm doing great! I caught a bunch of strong and smart Pokémon! Here, let me see what you caught, Red!

And with that, a battle on the bridge ensued.

"Let's go, Pidgeotto!" Blue yelled while throwing a Pokeball. A Pokémon that looked like an overgrown Pidgey but with a red crest and a red and yellow tail materialized from it. It chirped its name instantly. Red immediately scanned it with his Pokedex.

"Pidgeotto, the Bird Pokémon and the evolved form of Pidgey. Very protective of its sprawling territorial area, this Pokémon will fiercely peck at any intruder. The claws on its feet are well developed. It can carry prey such as an Exeggcute to its nest over 60 miles away."

Red looked surprised, as he didn't expect Blue's Pidgey to have evolved so quickly. He then released Charmander from his Pokeball, the fire lizard ready to fight.

"Pidgeotto, use Quick Attack!"

"Ember."

Quickly, Pidgeotto tackled Charmander at blinding speed, not giving the fire lizard a chance to attack.

"Way to go! Now keep up the pressure, and use Gust!"

"Dragon Rage."

This time, Charmander's attack trespassed Pidgeotto's Gust and successfully hit the bird, much to Blue's dismay.

"Tch. Use Quick Attack again!"

"Metal Claw."

The two attacks collided, but Charmander was overpowered due to the bird's speed and power. Red realized that while Charmander could not compete with Pidgeotto in terms of power, maybe he could lower the bird's speed. So, he decided to go for a different attack next.

"Scary Face."

Charmander then tried to do a Scary Face. For Pidgeotto, it worked. But for Blue and Red, they only sweatdropped. Charmander was way too cutesy to even make an Scary Face attack work that well, but it somehow worked in Pidgeotto.

"Is it even supposed to be that way…?" Blue asked Red, while his friend and rival only rolled his eyes at his comment. Shaking himself from the scene, he focused on the battle.

"Don't let that deter you! Use Quick Attack!"

"Ember."

Due to Scary Face, Pidgeotto was noticeably slower, something which Charmander used against it. It quickly moved and used Ember, knocking the bird from the air and onto the ground.

"Pidgeotto, use Wing Attack!"

"Dragon Rage."

The two attacks collided, but eventually Pidgeotto fell, defeated. Blue then chose his next Pokémon.

"Let's go, Rattata!"

Red decided to stay with Charmander, for the moment being.

"Use Hyper Fang!"

"Dodge it, then Ember."

Rattata attacked with all of its might, but Charmander was faster and dodged the Hyper Fang. When he was facing the back of the Mouse Pokemon, the fire lizard then released an Ember attack, Rattata exclaiming its name in pain.

"Argh! Use Quick Attack!"

"Metal Claw."

Both Pokemon clashed with their respective attacks, neither of them gaining the upper hand. Each trainer then commanded another move to their respective Pokemon.

"Rattata, use Bite!

"Ember."

Before Rattata could reach Charmander, the fire lizard attacked at full force. This time however, something about Rattata seemed off. Its body glowed red, while it was grunting in pain. Red remembered something about this condition; it was burned.

"Drats! Use Quick Attack!"

"Dragon Rage."

Dragon Rage was obviously more powerful. Add to that the effects of the burn, and Rattata stood knocked out with swirls on its eyes. Sighing, Blue released his next Pokémon. A yellow Pokémon that had a vague humanoid form materialized. Its eyes were somewhat similar to Brock's. Red chuckled internally after he thought about this. Red scanned the new Pokémon with his Pokedex.

"Abra, the Psi Pokémon. It sleeps for 18 hours a day. It uses a variety of extrasensory powers even while asleep. Using its ability to read minds, it will sense impending danger and Teleport to safety."

"Abra, use Confusion!"

The yellow Pokémon made Charmander levitate in the air, then smashed him against the ground. Needless to say, this knocked out the fire lizard, who was weak after two consecutive battles without rest. Pleased with his work, Red returned Charmander to his Pokeball.

Next, he chose Pikachu. The yellow mouse was watching the battle and immediately ran to the battlefield.

"Abra, use Confusion!"

"Thundershock."

Before Abra could use its attack, Pikachu had already moved and used Thundershock. The attack left Abra stunned for a bit. Red used the time remaining to command another move.

"Mega Punch."

Pikachu lunged at Abra, his paw glowing an orange-red. When it made a hit, Abra was sent flying, instantly knocked out. Red looked in shock at the raw power of the move. But the thing that shocked him the most was that Abra was knocked out in just a single hit. Maybe it was that frail…

"Arghh! Squirtle, it's your time to shine!"

Squirtle appeared from its Pokeball, exclaiming his name. Red decided to switch for this time, and sent out Bulbasaur, who looked annoyed at Red.

"Uh? Is that Leaf's Bulbasaur?" Blue asked Red, to which Red shook his head. Blue nodded at him and they continued their battle.

"Hmph. Not fair! You have the type advantage. But that doesn't mean anything!" Blue exclaimed, while Red didn't even reply to him.

"Squirtle, use Bite!"

"Vine Whip."

Bulbasaur didn't use Vine Whip, instead dodging the attack and remaining still. Red was surprised at this, but didn't let that deter him.

"I said, Vine Whip."

Bulbasaur still wasn't obeying. Blue, of course, used this opportunity.

"Ha! It doesn't obey you, Red. This'll be easy. Squirtle, use Rapid Spin and Water Gun at the same time!"

Squirtle nodded and it began spinning a lot faster than when it used Tackle. Then, it started using Water Gun. The attack hit Bulbasaur hard, and sent him flying. Red however, managed to catch the Seed Pokémon. This surprised him, but he still had his old attitude.

"Squirtle, use Bite!"

"Please… Use Vine Whip." Red pleaded to the seed Pokémon. It looked at him somewhat warily but obeyed nonetheless. However, its attack was ineffective against Squirtle, who had moved out of the way.

"Use Rapid Spin and Water Gun!"

Squirtle began to do the same once more, but just when it was approaching Bulbasaur…

"Dodge it."

Bulbasaur jumped on Squirtle's shell and successfully evaded the attack. Red and Blue were impressed at his speed. Squirtle then landed safely, but Red took the time to command another move.

"Vine Whip, as much as you can."

This time the attack hit many times, taking a bunch of Squirtle's HP. Blue wasn't going to wait for Red to defeat him, ordering Squirtle to use another move.

"Squirtle, get away from there! Use Rapid Spin!"

However, Squirtle didn't use the move. It suddenly began glowing blue, growing at the same time its ears and tail began prolonging themselves, while its body was getting bigger and bigger. Blue and Red began looking in awe, while Bulbasaur widened his eyes. After some seconds, a dark blue Pokémon that looked like a bigger version of Squirtle revealed itself.

"War! Wartortle!" the Pokémon exclaimed, happily. Blue had a big grin on his face, and he immediately scanned the newly evolved Wartortle with his Pokedex.

"Wartortle, the Turtle Pokémon and the evolved form of Squirtle. This Pokémon is very popular as a pet. Its fur-covered tail is a symbol of its longevity. It often hides in water to stalk unwary prey. For fast swimming, it moves its ears to maintain balance."

"Alright!" Blue said, happy that his Pokémon evolved. "Wartortle, use Rapid Spin!"

Wartortle did as ordered and used Rapid Spin. This time, however the attack was much more powerful than before, easily sending Bulbasaur flying. The Seed Pokémon panted a lot, eventually growling and glowing with a green aura. Red and Blue immediately recognized this as Overgrow, Bulbasaur's ability.

"Ugh… Well, whatever. Use Bite!"

"Vine Whip."

Bulbasaur did as commanded, albeit reluctantly. However, once more, Wartortle got the hit while Bulbasaur was nearly fainting. Red approached the grass type Pokémon, then said "You can do it."

Bulbasaur was shocked by this human's behavior. All of the ones he had met, except for the flower shop girl of course, were evil, his original trainer abandoning him. But… This one was different. Or at least, that's what he thought. He looked at his trainer's eyes then nodded at him, smiling. Red was taken aback by the Pokemon's sudden change of mood but he smiled at it nonetheless.

"Vine Whip."

However, instead of using Vine Whip, Bulbasaur released sharp leaves from its bulb, which then hit Wartortle, dealing a huge amount of damage. Razor Leaf. Wartortle started glowing blue soon after, signaling that its ability too was activated.

"Okay! Let's finish this, Red!" Blue exclaimed while Red nodded to him in reply.

"Use Water Gun!/Razor Leaf."

Both attacks clashed but eventually Bulbasaur's attack reached Wartortle, knocking it out. Red smiled at his victory, while Blue only groaned. Red chuckled at him, his cockiness had been subsided. At least, for now.

"Hey! Take it easy! You won already!

Red grinned at him, nodding. He then proceeded to heal his team with some of the potions he bought at the Pokemart.

"Hey, guess what?" Blue asked, while Red looked at him, in curiosity. "I went to Bill's and got him to show me his rare Pokémon. That added a lot of pages to my Pokedex!" He continued. Red looked at him questioningly, not knowing who that "Bill" was.

"In case you didn't know it, Bill is a renowned and famous Pokemaniac, known through most of the regions. He's also creator of the Pokémon Storage System and all those thingies that a PC does. Since you use his system, you should go and thank him. He lives by the sea cottage near Route 25, which is a long way following this bridge." Blue explained to his rival and friend, who nodded at him.

"Well then, smell ya later!"

And with that he stormed off to the Pokémon Center, to heal his defeated team. Red looked on as he ran off. He then continued his way crossing the bridge but suddenly, 5 different trainers, three boys and two girls, approached him.

"Hey you! You think you can take the five of us, in a row?" One of them asked Red, who nodded at them with a determined glance. In 1 minutes, all of them were in awe at their defeat. They couldn't believe someone had so much talent, just like that. Though he wasn't the only one, as the spiky haired boy was also a tremendous trainer. Or so they said…

"Good job! You have beaten our 5 contest trainers! You have just earned a fabulous prize!" a man approached Red, clapping. He then handed him a Nugget. Yeah, a real Nugget. The bridge was painted gold, but it wasn't really made of it. Red bowed as thanks and was going to continue his way to Bill's house, but suddenly the man spoke again.

"Say, what do you think about joining team rocket? We're a group of professional criminals specializing in Pokémon"

Red stopped on his tracks and looked warily at the man.

"Yeah! You could get rich easily and do what you want! What d'ya say?" Red glared at him and quickly shook his head, indicating he wasn't going to join them, never ever.

"Are you sure?"

Again, Red stood firm against him.

"I'm telling you to join!"

This time Red glared even harder at the man, who was clearly annoyed and impatient.

"Okay... You need convincing! I'll make you an offer you can't refuse!"

And with that, he released a Rattata from a Pokeball. Red did the same with Bulbasaur.

"Rattata, use Quick Attack!"

"Razor Leaf." Red commanded Bulbasaur, who nodded at him and released its attack, successfully hitting Rattata.

"Use Hyper Fang!" the Rocket member ordered at the Mouse Pokémon.

"Vine Whip, then fling it."

When Rattata was close enough, Bulbasaur grabbed it with Vine Whip. The mouse Pokémon tried to get away, but to no avail. When Bulbasaur had firmed his grab on it, he flung Rattata.

"Razor Leaf." Red commanded again. Bulbasaur then jumped and used the attack, successfully knocking out Rattata.

"Arghh! Go, Zubat!" the Rocket member yelled, while the bat-like Pokémon materialized from its Pokeball.

Red switched out for Charmander, nullifying the type advantage Zubat just had against Bulbasaur.

"Zubat, use Wing Attack!"

"Ember."

Charmander's Ember was more powerful, and managed to knock Zubat to the ground, only for it to stand up and fly again. The Rocket member wasn't going to take any chances with this, so he ordered for a quite common strategy involving Zubat.

"Time to turn the tables! Use Supersonic!"

Charmander couldn't dodge the attack and confused himself. He was now at the mercy of the Team Rocket grunt.

"Wing Attack, as many times as you can!"

"Dragon Rage."

Charmander launched its Dragon Rage attack, but almost ended up hitting Red due to its confusion. He narrowly evaded the attack.

"Haha! That always works. Now use Bite, as much as you can!"

The confusion and flinch effect of Bite was a good combination, easily taking a lot of Charmander's HP.

"Snap out of it." Red commanded, but even though Charmander tried he could not do anything. Feeling impotent, he did it again.

"Please… Snap out of it…" Red said, with a worried tone. This time around Charmander could snap out of his confused state. Red smiled at his partner, and readied his next move.

"Dragon Rage."

The fire lizard's attack came in full strength, easily knocking out Zubat. The Team Rocket grunt sighed and returned it to its Pokeball.

"Drats... You have a lot of potential. You could easily become a Rocket executive if you so wanted…" the man said, disappointed. "Don't let this chance go to waste!"

Red just looked at him with an expressionless face, before continuing on his way. Our hero saw some new Pokémon in the distance. Putting his glasses on, he could see that they were Bellsprout, Oddish and Paras. He quickly scanned them with his Pokedex.

"Bellsprout, the Flower Pokémon. A carnivorous Pokémon that traps and eats bugs. It appears to use its root feet to replenish moisture. Its bud looks like a human face. Because of the bud, it is rumored to be a type of legendary mandrake plant."

"Oddish, the Weed Pokémon. Its scientific name is "Oddium Wanderus." During the day, it keeps its face buried in the ground. At night, it is said to walk nearly 1,000 feet on its two roots."

"Paras, the Mushroom Pokémon. Burrows to suck tree roots. Growing out of the bug's back are mushrooms called tochukaso. The mushrooms on its back grow by drawing nutrients from the bug host."

He caught all three of them, proceeding to send them to the Professor when he returned to the Pokémon Center. However, there was one elusive Pokémon that he couldn't get his hands on… Abra.

He encountered like two or three Abra around the area, but just as he was going to throw a Pokeball to catch one, the Psi Pokémon decided to teleport away. Red almost managed to catch one, but it just broke free from the Pokeball and again, teleported elsewhere. Hell, even if it was sleeping it could teleport away! Red was at the end of his wits… until he saw another Abra, asleep. This was his last chance.

He released Bulbasaur from its Pokeball, then put a finger on his mouth, signaling to be quiet. Bulbasaur nodded at him and they slowly approached Abra. The Abra was so in its sleep that it didn't notice the two approaching. Red and Bulbasaur stood quiet for a bit, until the time was right.

"Razor Leaf, then Sleep Powder. As fast as you can."

Bulbasaur approached the Abra, then when he was close enough, used Razor Leaf. The attack was so fast, Red didn't even notice it. The attack sent Abra flying some distance but it didn't even wake up. Bulbasaur hesitated for a bit, but quickly used Sleep Powder. However, it didn't have any effect either. Red widened his eyes, then approached the Abra. It didn't move. It was still asleep. Trainer and Pokémon sweatdropped, Red eventually throwing a Pokeball at it, successfully catching it.

After that was over with, Red continued on his way towards Bill's house. He fought a lot of trainers on the way there, which had considerably toughened up his team. Pikachu learned Electro Ball, while Bulbasaur learned Sweet Scent. Eventually he stumbled upon the cottage. He knocked the door, but there was no response. He repeated that, but still there wasn't anything. Once more, but there wasn't any response. He decided to push the door, and to his surprise, it opened. Just as he did this, he heard a voice.

"Hey! Help me!" the owner of the voice exclaimed. It was a somewhat weak male voice.

Red looked around for the source of it, but he couldn't find anything. He then heard it again.

"Hey! Can't you see me!?" the owner of the voice yelled, annoyed. Red continued looking around until he saw a Clefairy with brown hair tugging at his feet. He widened his eyes and pinched himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming. He ordered Pikachu to do so too, but the result was the same.

"Pi…ka?" Pikachu said, confused. Red was still unmoving.

"Hey, I'm Clefairy! Wait, no, I'm Bill! Bill Sonezaki!" the Clefairy greeted Red. He nodded weirdly at "Bill" in response.

"I'm a true-blue Pokémaniac and researcher! Hey! What's with that skeptical look?" "Bill" asked, looking at Red accusingly. He turned away, somewhat annoyed.

"I'm not joshing you, pal! I screwed up an experiment and got combined with a Pokémon! So, how about it? Help me out here!"

Red pondered for a bit then nodded at him. He wasn't completely sure how he was going to do that, but he wanted to help Bill.

"All right! Wait till I get inside the Teleporter. When I do, go to my PC and run the Cell Separation System."

Bill then entered a large capsule, which must have been the Teleporter. Red then went to the PC and navigated with the mouse, clicking on the "Start" button inside of a program. When he did so, the Teleporter looked like it was transferring some kind of energy to another similar capsule. After thirty seconds or so, the other side released some smoke from inside of it. Out came Bill, but something was out of place…

He was on his boxers.

After he realized this, he scratched the back of his head while smiling sheepishly. Red and Pikachu sweatdropped at him, instantly. He hurried for another room in the cottage and after two minutes or so, he came fully dressed.

"Yeehah! Thanks, bud! I owe you one!" Bill exclaimed, while Red nodded at him, smiling.

"So, did you come to see my Pokémon collection?" Bill asked, to which Red nodded again.

"I came for that, and to thank you for the Pokémon Storage System. It's very useful." Red said, while bowing. He didn't like to take orders from Blue, but this was a different matter altogether.

"Hey, there's no need to be so humble! Haha!" Bill said, while Red nodded at him. "And, you're welcome! I appreciate the feedback. Okay, come on out guys!" Bill continued, releasing all six of his Pokeballs. From them came five similarly shaped Pokémon, and one with a different silhouette.

Upon closer inspection, Red could see that the five Pokémon were Blue, Orange, Yellow, Violet and Black. The other one looked like a bigger version of Abra, with two spoons. He scanned them with his Pokedex.

"Vaporeon, the Bubble Jet Pokémon and one of the eight known evolved forms of Eevee. Its body's cellular structure is similar to the molecular composition of water. It can melt invisibly in water. It lives close to water. Its long tail is ridged with a fin which is often mistaken for a mermaid's."

"Flareon, the Flame Pokémon and one of the eight known evolved forms of Eevee. It has a flame bag inside its body. After inhaling deeply, it blows out flames of nearly 3,100 degrees Fahrenheit. When storing thermal energy in its body, its temperature can soar to over 1,600 degrees Fahrenheit."

"Jolteon, the Lightning Pokémon and one of the eight known evolved forms of Eevee. It accumulates negative ions in the atmosphere to blast out 10000-volt lightning bolts. If it is angered or startled, the fur all over its body bristles like sharp needles that pierce foes."

"Espeon, the Sun Pokémon and one of the eight known evolved forms of Eevee. It uses the fine hair that covers its body to sense air currents and predict the weather and its enemy's actions."

"Umbreon, the Moonlight Pokémon and one of the eight known evolved forms of Eevee. When darkness falls, the rings on the body begin to glow, striking fear in the hearts of anyone nearby. If agitated, this Pokémon protects itself by spraying poisonous sweat from its pores."

"Alakazam, the Psi Pokémon and the final evolved form of the Abra line. Its brain can outperform a supercomputer. Its IQ (intelligence quotient) is said to be around 5,000. It does not like physical attacks very much. Instead, it freely uses extra-sensory powers to defeat foes."

Red was awed by all of Bill's Pokémon. All of them had something that made them stand out from the others. Vaporeon can become invisible in water. Flareon's flames are tremendously hot. Jolteon's lightning bolts were tremendously powerful. Umbreon, well… Umbreon could release Poison and glow in the darkness! Isn't that amazing!? Jokes aside, Alakazam was also another tremendously powered Pokémon, surpassing the intelligence of supercomputers and its psychic powers were astounding. But perhaps, the one that was most interesting for him was Espeon.

A Pokémon that could read your opponent's next move. That ability was indeed something to be feared. Its potential in battle was unlimited. But it could tell about the weather too! So, if it was going to rain, Espeon could alert you. Just perfect. Red then approached the violet Pokémon, while it looked curiously at him. After staring each other for a while, the Pokémon smiled at Red while he did the same.

"Interested on Espeon, eh…?" Bill asked, not knowing Red's name.

"Red."

"Okay, Red. So, you interested on that little fella?" Bill asked, to which Red nodded.

"A Pokémon like that can sure be handy. I'm pretty sure it's reading your mind right now!" Bill asked, while Red and Pikachu widened their eyes. Espeon only nodded at him.

"See, aside from the weather and it's opponent's moves and actions, it can also read minds. Kinda creepy, yes. But pretty useful."

Red nodded at him, sweatdropping.

"Espeon evolves from Eevee during the day, only if you have a strong bond with it. The same for Umbreon over there, except that for Umbreon, it needs to evolve during the night. As for the other three evolutions, you can only get them in faraway regions." Bill continued his explanation, while Red nodded at him.

"To get an Eevee… Well…" Bill said, stopping midsentence. "I can only wish you the best of luck. Eevee is a very rare Pokémon, and there are almost none of them in the wild. Most of them are bred, and from there they are gifted to others. It's pretty difficult getting one."

Red nodded at him again, this time a little bit disappointed. But that didn't deter him. He was going to get an Eevee, sooner or later. Even though he didn't have any clue as to where they could be.

"I've got to thank you... Oh, here, maybe this'll do." Bill said, handing Red a ticket. He looked curiously at it.

"That is a ticket for a party on the S.S Anne, which is in Vermilion City. I hear there are lots of Trainers on board, too. Me? I'm not a good trainer. They invited me to their party, but I can't stand fancy do's. Why don't you go instead of me? Go and have a good time."

Red looked at the ticket, then smiled at Bill, bowing. Bill smiled back at him, and they continued talking for a bit. Eventually Red left, saying his goodbyes to Bill for the moment being. He continued his way towards Cerulean City, walking for 15 minutes or so. It was already late, and surely Leaf didn't expect him to be out for so long. He picked the bouquet of flowers from the flower shop and continued to the Pokémon Center. In the main area, Leaf was waiting for him, hands on her hips.

"So… What do you have to say for yourself?" Leaf asked, furious. Red gulped in fear. When Leaf saw his reaction, she busted out laughing.

"Hahahaha! You should have seen your face!" Leaf exclaimed at him, while Red rolled his eyes, annoyed. Leaf then looked curiously at the bouquet of flowers he had on hand.

"Hey, are those for me?" she asked him, while he nodded. He then handed out the flowers to her, smiling.

"I hope it makes you feel better." Red said, blushing a little. Leaf tackled him with a hug, safely putting the bouquet of flowers in a nearby table.

"Thanks, Reddy! I appreciate it!" Leaf said, happily. Red nodded at her, smiling. "This made my day even better than it already was!" Leaf continued, while Red looked at her questioningly.

"What do I mean? Well… Blue invited me to a party on the S.S Anne in Vermilion City!"

* * *

And that's it! Again, sorry for the delay. School has been hard for me, even though I just recently started again. I should update weekly, but there will sometimes be a slight delay, just like this chapter. But not everything is a bad thing! I have fully completed the plot for the story, so now I have an estimate of how many chapters there will be. Like last chapter, here are some of the ideas I came up with in this new chapter:

Hoennian Flowers: They are the counterparts of real life Hawaiian Flowers. I know Hoenn is based off Kyushu, Japan in real life but there were some similarities and I couldn't avoid it xD

Potions revive Pokémon from their fainting: So, in this story (and subsequent histories too) there won't be any revives, max revives, etc. Only Revival Herbs, and that's when the Pokémon has taken a lot of damage, far superior from just "fainting". For all other uses, Potions and Full Restores will be enough.

Bill Sonezaki: Bill's Japanese name is _Masaki Sonezaki._ I decided to use his Japanese last name as his English last name too.

Red and Blue's battle: Squirtle's evolution served to make the battle a lot more interesting, and more of a challenge for Red, though he managed to win in the end.

Did you notice the reference to some Pokemon games in the movie that Leaf likes?

Next chapter will feature how Leaf got invited by Blue to the party on the S.S Anne (flashback) and also, Red's battle with Misty. I hoped you enjoyed as always!


	7. The Tomboyish Mermaid!

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own Pokémon! Pokémon and all its associated trademarks belong to Gamefreak and Nintendo. Cover isn't mine either, rights belong to its author.

* * *

 _ **Review Corner**_

 _ **Guest:**_ Again, thank you! Yeah, Team Rocket would be extremely furious! That's my OTP too! Though I really don't know from where they got the inspiration to get Pikachu like Ketchup. They could have given him cheese (as mice like cheese, or so the myth said). Yeah! Expect Red blushing a lot in the next chapters. For Leaf, I feel proud of the work I have done with her, as of late. Chapters 9 and 10 are nearing, and those will have a twist and be somewhat dramatic. No more spoilers! I hope you enjoy this chapter as always!

 _ **QUEENSPELLER67:**_ Indeed! Expect new evolutions on the next chapter. I hope you like this chapter as always!

 _ **PerilousFate:**_ First of all, I must say thank you so much. I really appreciate your reviews. I have also read your story, and it is very, very interesting! I really like your backstory of the Professors and Red. I haven't read all the chapters, as I haven't got much time due to school and usually I just login here to post a new chapter. You have done a great work so far with it! I feel as if my story is lacking on some aspects yours has. But hey, that's why you gave me those suggestions, right? First, thank you for pointing out the grammar errors. After this chapter I will work on them, and see what I can do about them. As for the "A/N" "xD" and those other unnecessary bits, I will tone them down considerably. You are right, even though I didn't realize it until now. All chapters until now will be revised for grammar errors and those little things you pointed out. I've noticed that it prevents others or deters them from reading the story completely or getting a "good" first impression from it. Regarding the personalities of each character, as you said Red doesn't have much of a personality in the games, not uttering a single word. Fandom has him as a silent character, sometimes ghostly in manner or even slightly dark. My Red only has the silent element, but his personality will develop much more as the story goes. For Red's first gym battle, it surely was somewhat rushed. As it had been a long chapter (more than 10k words) I was a little exhausted and couldn't picture it that well. What I wanted to do was a Pokémon Origins-like battle, (or Ash vs Brock on the Original Series) where Red would prove that type-matchups didn't mean a thing. In Origins, Charmander defeated Onix. In the Original Series, Pikachu did the same. Then again, all chapters will be revised and the battle will be a lot better, or so I hope. Again, the T-wave error was surely because of the same reason, and I wasn't aware of it until now. As for that, well… Red with a Clefairy would look kinda weird (even though there is this manga that has a different Red as a character and he has a Clefairy as his main Pokemon) and I envision his team being the one in the Johto games, plus Mr. Humans-are-all-evil. As for those Hoennian flowers, I don't think there is a name for them (Like Kalos has Kalosian or Hoenn's Sootopolis has Sootopolitan) but let's go with that. For Bulbasaur, I think it would be more like rebellious than timid, as it was mentioned that he was abandoned. Again, you are right as I could have used that for much more than a fraction of the chapter. In conclusion, thank you so much for all of your reviews! I look forward to them, and good luck with your story! I hope you enjoy this chapter as always!

* * *

 _ **Last time on The Crimson Legend…**_

 _Red and Leaf continued through Route 4, eventually reaching Cerulean City after some walking. They went to the Pokémon Center almost instantly, as they were in a rush. Leaf, of course, made a sudden entrance and got the attention of everyone by yelling at the nurse. Everybody sweatdropped at her antics, but the nurse just sighed and did her work. After that, our heroes went to the "Human" side of the Pokémon Center, where Leaf got treated by a doctor due to her ankle injury. This concluded in Leaf having to wear a cast and use crutches to walk properly, much to her dismay. Time passed, and they spent the rest of the night watching movies. Next morning, Leaf again woke Red up, this time hitting him with the crutches. Groaning and glaring at her, he got up from his bed and after some time, they were ready to train their Pokémon some more. After they were done, some karate maniacs appeared out of nowhere (startling Red and Leaf in the process) and taught their Pokémon some powerful moves – Mega Punch and Mega Kick. Following that, they again went to the Pokémon Center for some rest. But, Red went out, intent on exploring the city and bringing some flowers to cheer Leaf. He got some for his mom, too. In the process of getting the flowers, he also obtained an initially rebellious Bulbasaur, who toned down on his attitude when Red put his trust on him during his and Blue's third battle, where Red successfully won. After his defeat, Blue told Red that he visited Bill, a famous Pokemaniac and researcher who was also the creator of the Pokémon Storage System. As a fellow trainer, Red should visit him and thank him, or so Blue said._

 _Taking Blue's advice, he decided to pay a visit to Bill. On his way there, he was challenged by five other trainers, who dared him to beat all of them in a row. Smirking, Red surprised all of the trainers by beating them in no less than ten minutes. Said he was as good as the spiky haired boy. He received a Nugget as his prize, but from no other than Team Rocket! Good grief… They are everywhere!_

 _The Rocket grunt was forcing his way to make Red join Team Rocket. Obviously, our protagonist rejected the offer almost immediately, glaring at the Rocket member. He then challenged Red to a battle, which he lost terribly, not even one of Red's Pokémon fainting. The grunt gave up trying to convince Red, who leaved without uttering a single word to him. He continued to Bill's place –The Sea Cottage- and during the way, he caught Oddish, Bellsprout, and Paras. After a lot of trouble, he also caught an Abra (who didn't even defend itself). Some more trainers to battle, and he could reach Bill's house. A lot of randomness happened there, with Red adding 6 more Pokémon data to his Pokedex. He said his goodbyes to Bill for the moment being, and again went to the city, picking up the flowers he left and continuing his way to the Pokémon Center. There, however, Leaf welcomed him with some news…_

 _And that brings us to the current time…_

 _Cerulean City Pokémon Center, Kanto_

 _6:25 P.M_

"Hey, are those for me?" Leaf asked Red, while he nodded. He then handed out the flowers to her, smiling.

"I hope it makes you feel better." Red said, blushing a little. Leaf tackled him with a hug, safely putting the bouquet of flowers in a nearby table. She took one of the flowers and put it on her hair.

"Thanks, Reddy! I appreciate it!" Leaf said, happily. Red nodded at her, smiling. "This made my day even better than it already was!" Leaf continued, while Red looked at her questioningly.

"What do I mean? Well… Blue invited me to a party on the S.S Anne in Vermilion City!"

Red widened his eyes as she said this. He felt a sudden hint of jealously going through him, not looking at her while keeping his eyes fixed on the floor.

"Well... It was something like this…"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX FLASHBACK XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Leaf's POV

"Groan…"

I was bored… Like, totally bored. Red just left without saying much (as always…) so I was alone in the room too and didn't have any company. Well, human company. I still had my Pokémon with me on my bed. I decided to continue watching movies, as I didn't have anything better to do.

"I hate this thing!" I yelled to nobody in particular, while looking at the cast I had to wear. Bulbasaur and the others stated something in their own language, while nodding. I didn't have a single clue what they meant, but surely they were comforting me. I smiled back at them, while the Pokémon exclaimed their names happily. Time passed and eventually I decided to go out and get some fresh air. While I was reading the newspaper, however…

"OUT OF THE WAY!" Exclaimed a voice which was all too familiar for me. I was wondering what HE of all people would be doing here. I looked up from the newspaper but I couldn't see him yet.

"MOVE! OUT OF THE WAY!"

This time however, he came running and stumbled upon me, making both of us fall and make quite a scene. A somewhat light blush could be seen on my face, while he had a look of utter confusion.

"Leaf? What are you doing here?" Blue asked me, in a curious tone. He wasn't aware at all of the position we were in, him on top of me…

"I c-could say the s-same for you, B-blue." I replied to him, stuttering. Hey, don't blame me! I know you'll do the same if you were in the situation I was!

"Well, I met Red by the bridge to the north of the city and he beat me in a Pokémon Battle. So I came running as fast as I could here." Blue explained to me.

"That's good. I-I mean bad for you. G-good for him. Hehehe…" I said, still blushing and not knowing in the slightest what I just said.

"Right…" my friend and childhood crush said, looking at me weirdly. Arceus! I screwed up again! The last time something like this happened was back in Pallet, before we started our journey. The three of us were merrily talking (or more like Blue and I, as Red was drifting off as always) along until Blue got one of his good for nothing ideas. He went running to the professor's lab and released some of the Pokémon he was currently researching, who in turn started chasing after us. Why, do you ask? Well… Blue started bothering them too. Now, he had to face both his grandfather and the Pokémon. Running for my life, I tripped and fell. Luckily though, Blue was right behind me and helped me stand up. I blushed and started blabbering nonsense. He always replied to me with "Yeah, whatever." Or some weird looks. Meanwhile, Red was still running. Perhaps the Pokémon were attracted to his clothes, which were the same color as his name. Who knows?

Anyway, when I get on those kinds of situations, I always freak out and make an idiot out of myself. Speaking of which…

"H-hey Blue, w-would you mind s-standing up, p-please?" I asked, again stuttering. He made an "o" with his mouth while scratching the back of his head and smiling sheepishly.

"Yeah… Sorry, Leaf."

And with that he got up, giving me his hand and helping me stand up. Many of the surrounding people where whispering about us. I blushed even harder at their words. I wish I had a hat or something like that as it would certainly hide my face (and my blushing). Blue just shrugged and walked to the counter to heal his Pokémon. After talking for five minutes or so, he got his Pokémon back from the nurse. Thanking her, he went back to where I was.

"So… how did you end up like that?" Blue asked me in a curious tone, pointing to the cast in my right foot.

"Well… We fought a group of goons called Team Rocket." I explained, while Blue nodded. "We got caught up in an explosion in Mt. Moon. Red told me to not tell this to anyone else but I suppose I could make an exception for you."

"I understand. Whew… that's some deep shit you two got yourselves in…" Blue stated, while continuing on. "Can't say I didn't hear about them. I thought they were just some petty thieves."

Just as I was going to say something, Blue was slapped in the face by an old woman. I widened my eyes, while he just rubbed his cheek in pain.

"Ow… What the hell was that for?" My friend asked, glaring at his aggressor. She returned the glare in response.

"Don't you know what discipline is, child?" she asked Blue, who looked annoyed. I turned away from the sight, as I couldn't hold my laugh for much more. Blue always gets in these kind of situations.

"What do you mean, you cranky old woman!?" Blue asked irritated. Oh boy! He was going to get some real beat down…

The old woman was about to slap the other side of Blue's face, but I interrupted just in time.

"I'm truly sorry Ma'am. I'm pretty sure, he didn't mean it. Right, Blue?"

Blue just rolled his eyes at us, while the old woman let a "Hmph." Escape from her mouth. She then turned to face him again.

"You're lucky that you have such a cute and intelligent girlfriend. If not, I would have educated you. This is a public place, there are kids here. Do not swear."

And with that, she glared at him and left. I blushed furiously at her comment but luckily Blue didn't see it. He was too preoccupied glaring to the way she went, muttering some things that I couldn't understand.

"Moving on…" I said, winning Blue's attention. "They aren't just some petty thieves. Had it not been for us, they would have taken most of the Jigglypuff and Clefairy in Mt. Moon. Those Pokémon were suffering so much… I wish I didn't have to see that again."

Blue nodded at me, understandably. His view on them would have probably changed thanks to this.

"Well, thanks for telling me. What happened to the Pokémon, then?"

I took two Pokeballs from my pocket and released the Pokémon inside them in response. Jigglypuff and Clefairy came out, happily exclaiming their names.

"Jiggly!"

"Fairy!"

The two smiled at Blue, who in turn widened his eyes. He then scanned them with his Pokedex, as this was the first time he had seen them in real life.

"How the hell do you have not only one but two of those rare Pokémon, Leaf?" He asked (more like yelled to) me, in disbelief. I smiled at him cockily. "Well… Red and I saved them from Team Rocket. They decided to join me on my journey. Of course, why wouldn't they? I'm just so cool! Hahaha!"

"Sure…" Blue said, rolling his eyes. Jigglypuff and Clefairy did the same in response, while I continued laughing.

"But…" Blue said, shaking me from my "moment". "You aren't the only one with new Pokémon, Leaf."

As he said this, he took a Pokeball from his pocket and released the Pokémon inside it. A dark blue Pokémon that looked like a bigger version of Squirtle materialized from it.

"Wartortle!"

"Oh… wow! Is that the evolved form of Squirtle?" I asked Blue, who nodded proudly. "Squirtle evolved while Red and I were battling against his Bulbasaur."

I nodded to him understandably while I scanned Wartortle with my Pokedex. Something ticked me off, however…

"Wait… What? Red has a Bulbasaur!?"

Blue had to cover his ears due to my outburst. Just where the hell did he get one? Professor Oak and some Pokémon Breeders were the only ones who had them. They were extremely rare Pokémon.

"Yeah! I don't know where he got it, but he had some trouble with it. Apparently it didn't obey him at first. They managed to fix that though, and thanks to that they beat us…" Blue continued on with his explanation, somewhat annoyed.

We continued like that for an hour or so until Blue decided to leave for Vermilion City, his next destination. I felt bad as I still wanted some more time with him. However, luck was on my side. Just as Blue was going through the Pokémon Center front door…

"Oh! I almost forgot!" Blue exclaimed, running to where I was. I looked at him curiously, wondering about what he was going to say next.

"Gramps sent me two tickets for a party that's going to be on the S.S Anne in Vermilion City. There's gonna be a dance, battles, blah blah blah. He's too preoccupied with his research to assist, so he gave me his ticket. I was wondering if you could go with me. You know, as an apology for not travelling with you and all."

I took some time to process what he just said. Well, maybe a lot of time.

"Leaf. You there?" Blue asked, shaking me from my thoughts.

"Yeah! Hehe!" I said, sweatdropping. "I'll be glad to! But… I'm not sure if I should go. I mean, I have to wear this stupid thing until a week has passed…"

"Well, the party is in a week too! Talk about a coincidence!"

Everything was perfect, if I do say so myself. There wasn't anything stopping me from going to the party.

"Alright, then! I'll see you there!"

Blue nodded to me and gave me the ticket, which said "S.S ANNE" in capitals and was adorned by a ship. He then patted me on the head and we said our goodbyes, for now. When he was out of sight though…

"YES!"

I started dancing crazily, while everyone who saw me sweatdropped. I didn't care. Words couldn't express how happy I was!

That is, until I tripped (again) and fell on top of Jigglypuff and Clefairy, who were tremendously mad at me. The nurse helped me stand up again, while I smiled sheepishly at my Pokémon. They just sighed and exclaimed their names, shrugging it off.

Things can get better for you in just an instant…

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX FLASHBACK END XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"And that's how it is!" Leaf said to her red eyed friend, who nodded at her. He then proceeded to tell her of the things he did when he was away. Leaf squealed in delight.

"Oh wow! Not only you got a Bulbasaur and met Bill, but he also gave you a ticket for the party too! Now we can go there together!"

Red nodded at her and forced a smiled through his lips, while she continued.

"But… I don't really believe that part where he was transformed into a Clefairy and entered some kind of machine, then when he got out he was only on his boxers." Leaf said, scratching her head sheepishly. Red rolled his eyes in response.

"Oh! Speaking of which… Where is that Bulbasaur?"

Red took a Pokeball from his pocket and released the Pokémon inside it. Bulbasaur came out, exclaiming his name. Leaf looked in disbelief.

"You are sooo lucky Red!" Leaf said, with a big smile. She then crouched and approached the Seed Pokémon, who was looking at her curiously.

"Hello there little guy! I'm Leaf!"

"Bulba."

Bulbasaur replied to her with his normally stoic attitude, extending a vine and shaking her hand with it, just like humans did. Leaf sweatdropped at the Pokémon's antics. Normally, any Pokémon would have let her pet it, but this Bulbasaur was quite different from hers.

She let out her own Bulbasaur from his Pokeball. He was surprised to see another one of his kind. He immediately smiled and beamed at Red's Bulbasaur, only to be replied by a bitter "Bulba." and extending a vine towards him, just like Leaf. Her Bulbasaur was taken aback by this, but extended a vine towards Red's Bulbasaur nonetheless. Leaf again sweatdropped at this, as she thought Red's Bulbasaur would have been friendlier towards her own.

"Your Bulbasaur is certainly unique…"

Red nodded and made a humming sound in approval. Both Pokémon were talking along (more like nodding and groaning in the case of Red's Bulbasaur) for a while. Pikachu soon joined the conversation, descending from Red's shoulder towards the floor.

Both trainers smiled and laughed at their Pokémon, conversing between each other sometimes. Their moods were in contrast to each other however, as while Leaf was feeling in the clouds, Red felt in hell. Well, maybe not that much. But still, as you could imagine, Red was feeling pretty down thanks to the "news" Leaf gave him. Bill only gave him one ticket for the party, so he couldn't invite Leaf to it anyway. Just the thought of Blue and her dancing broke his heart.

He proceeded to send the Pokémon he caught to Professor Oak, chatting with him for a bit. Leaf, of course, butted in their conversation only to say hi to the professor before leaving. Next, he called his Mom, sending her the sunflowers he bought for her. Again, Leaf did the same though this time she stayed for a bit. As Leaf left, Red's mom was going to say something but he hung up on his her, fearing that she embarrass him in front of Leaf.

Next, they had dinner and after they were finished, retreated to their room. Leaf didn't notice Red's attitude, instead focusing her attention on the TV as always. He felt asleep on his bed, though she didn't notice it until she felt tired too. Smiling at her friend, she went to sleep as well.

* * *

 _Cerulean City Pokémon Center_

 _10:10 A.M_

Leaf yawned and woke up, a smile on her lips. She quickly looked for her red eyed friend who, as always, was in deep slumber.

"Good morning Red!" Leaf yelled, waking him up.

"Yawn… Good morning, Leaf." Red replied, in a sleepy tone. He was surprised, as she didn't attempt any over the top method to wake him up. However, she approached Red and started shaking him by the shoulders.

"Get moving mister! You don't wanna be late for you Gym match, right?"

Red shook his head and widened his eyes. He had totally forgotten about the Gym, quickly making his way to the shower. Leaf laughed at him. One hour later, the two of them were ready and set, having had their breakfast. They asked directions for the Gym and got there after a bit more of walking. A light blue building that was significantly bigger than Pewter's was in sight. Leaf examined the sign in front of it.

 _Cerulean City Gym_

 _Leader: Misty_

" _The tomboyish mermaid!"_

"Oh, wow. That's some big ego she got there." Leaf said, rolling her eyes. Red didn't reply to her, not wanting to judge the leader before he met her. He grabbed Leaf's arm and quickly entered the Gym, itching for battles. As they entered, a somewhat familiar figure greeted them.

"Hi there young lad and lady! Here to challenge the Gym?"

Red and Leaf were rather perplexed, seeing that this man was almost identical to the one that greeted them in Pewter.

"Uhh…" Leaf said, before continuing. "Are you Jim Gai?"

The man quickly nodded, before replying to her. "Indeed I am! Have you met my twins?"

Both our heroes sweatdropped at his statement. So there was more than one of them…

"We met one of them at Pewter City." Leaf said, as a matter of fact. Jim Gai nodded at them once more.

"That is great. The truth is, all of us are named the same- Jim Gai! We also have the same goal, which is to provide help to the trainers challenging the gyms."

Red nodded at him, not amused in the slightest, while Leaf chuckled and scratched the back of her head.

"Anyway, here you must challenge two trainers. Once that is over with, then you can challenge the Gym Leader. Good luck!"

Both Red and Leaf said their thanks to him, proceeding to the main area. Leaf stayed on the sidelines, while Red proceeded further. An indoor swimming pool with platforms above the water could be seen. After Red beat the two Gym trainers, our heroes approached another pool, bigger than the rest.

A beautiful girl that had short orange hair and a blue two piece swimsuit was peacefully swimming in the water, not noticing his presence. She looked only a bit older than both Red and Leaf.

"The water is as relaxing as always… Uh?"

She laid her eyes on Red, looking at him curiously. She waved at him instantly.

"Hi there cutie pie! So you beat the other trainers?"

Red nodded at her, blushing at her words. He turned to face Leaf. However, she just raised an eyebrow, indifferent to the situation.

"Well then, let me introduce myself. I'm Misty, the Gym Leader! What is your approach when you catch and train Pokémon? My policy is an all out offensive with Water-type Pokémon!"

Just as she affirmed this, Jim Gai stood in the sidelines, next to Leaf.

"The battle between the Gym Leader, Misty, and the challenger, Red of Pallet Town will now begin! Each participant is allowed to recall their Pokémon just once. The Gym leader will only use two Pokémon. The challenger may use all of his Pokémon."

"Here we go! Prepare yourself sweetie, cause you're going to lose!"

And with that, Misty took a Pokeball from her pocket and threw it, releasing the Pokémon inside it. An orange-brown Pokémon that had a star-like body and a red jewel in the center of it materialized from it. It made an screeching sound and began spinning and jumping. Our heroes looked at it curiously, Red scanning it with his Pokedex.

"Staryu, the Star Shape Pokémon. It appears in large numbers by seashores. At night, its central core flashes with a red light. It is an enigmatic Pokémon that can effortlessly regenerate any appendage it loses in battle."

Red and Leaf widened their eyes at this. A Pokémon that can regenerate any appendage it loses in battle? Red was in for a hard battle if he used only psychical attacks.

"Surprised, huh?" Misty asked, gaining the attention of Red and Leaf. "As long as the core that Staryu has isn't damaged, it can do it as much as it likes."

Staryu again made a screeching sound, as if it was agreeing with its trainer. Seeing that his opponent's Pokémon was pretty fast, he decided to go with his fastest one too. He nodded to Pikachu, who was in his shoulder as always. Pikachu got down from there and prepared to face his opponent.

"Pika!"

"Type advantage doesn't mean anything. You can go first." Misty told Red, who nodded at her. He wanted to know if what the Pokedex said was true, so he went for an unexpected move.

"Iron Tail."

Pikachu began running towards Staryu, his tail glowing silver. He then smashed it on one of Staryu's appendages. As Iron Tail was a powerful psychical move, Red decided to go with it to test what the Pokedex said. Indeed, the appendage fell off Staryu's body into the pool. Our heroes widened their eyes at this, while Misty only smirked, her eyes closed. Staryu's core then began glowing a more powerful red, and the appendage suddenly grew back. It was as if Staryu didn't even take any damage.

"WHAAT?" Leaf yelled, catching Red's and Misty's attention. "Just how the hell does that thing do that?"

Red scratched the back of his head, while Misty laughed at Leaf's response. "Beats me. But it sure is useful, don't you think?"

"Yeah… But it creeps me out." Leaf replied to her, while frowning. Misty chuckled, before facing Red again.

"There you have it. But we're not going to be outdone by you! Staryu, use Water Pulse!"

The Star Shape Pokémon proceeded to create an orb of water from its core, releasing it towards Pikachu.

"Destroy it with Iron Tail."

Pikachu nodded and his tail began glowing silver again, smashing it in the ball created from Water Pulse and successfully destroying it. Misty quickly ordered another move.

"Staryu, use Rapid Spin! As fast as you can!"

Staryu did as commanded and began spinning rapidly, smashing onto Pikachu. The electrical mouse yelled its name in pain, falling to the ground before standing up again.

"Thundershock."

"Use Water Pulse!"

Both attacks collided, but eventually Pikachu's Thundershock could destroy the orb of water from Staryu's attack and reached the Star Shape Pokémon. Staryu screeched in pain, taking a bit of time to recover before it could stand up once more.

"Quick Attack."

Pikachu began running, a white aura surrounding him. However, just as he was going crash into Staryu…

"Staryu, use Harden! Hang in there! "

The Star Shape Pokémon glowed silver and hardened its body significantly. The yellow mouse crashed into it and was taken aback by the impact, taking some damage.

"Haha! I bet you didn't expect that, did you?" Misty taunted. Red didn't reply to her, as he was analyzing the situation at hand. Staryu was quite fast, easily keeping up with Pikachu. He decided to lower its speed, after Misty made another move.

"Okay Staryu! Use Water Pulse!"

"Destroy it with Iron Tail, then Thunder Wave."

A blue orb formed in Staryu's core once again. When it was complete, the Star Shape Pokémon released it towards Pikachu, but Pikachu acted quickly, destroying it with Iron Tail. Next, Pikachu released bolts of yellow electricity from its body to it, successfully paralyzing it. The Star Shape Pokémon screeched in pain from the effects of paralysis.

"Shake it off, Staryu! Use Rapid Spin!"

The Star Shape Pokémon began spinning quickly, lunging for Pikachu. Midway of its attack however, it stopped and screeched once more due to paralysis.

"Ugh… No matter. Return, Staryu."

The Star Shape Pokémon was called back by its trainer. Next, Misty took another Pokeball from her pocket, releasing the Pokémon inside it. Another star shaped Pokémon that had a violet colored body and looked like a bigger version of Staryu materialized from it. It had another set of semi-attached arms or appendages, which began spinning tremendously fast in 360°. This time, Leaf scanned it with her Pokedex.

"Starmie, the Star Shape Pokémon and the evolved form of Staryu. Its central core glows with the seven colors of the rainbow. Some people value the core as a gem. This Pokémon has a geometric body. Because of its body, people suspect that it is an alien creature."

"Wait, what?" Leaf asked, in disbelief. "Another Pokémon from space?"

"Dunno about that either." Misty said, turning to Leaf. "But I can tell you, Starmie is the cutest thing ever!"

As she said this, Misty approached Starmie and gave it a big hug, while the Pokémon screeched loudly and somehow returned it. Red and Leaf only sweatdropped at this.

"Sure…" Leaf said, skeptically.

"Okay, let's go Starmie! Use Rapid Spin on the water!"

Starmie jumped from the platform to the water, and began spinning quickly, even faster than Staryu. A wave was forming each time Starmie spun more and more. Red looked curiously at it, wondering what Misty was planning. However, he wasn't going to stand idly by.

"Thundershock."

Pikachu let out a jolt of electricity, quickly directing it towards Starmie. The Star Shaped Pokémon used the wave it created from using Rapid Spin in the water to protect itself. It then somehow began climbing and controlling it.

"And now, crash into Pikachu!"

Starmie screeched and began descending towards Pikachu, as if it were using Surf. Both Red and Leaf were perplexed by this, widening their eyes. Starmie crashed down on Pikachu, the yellow mouse taking a lot of damage and yelling his name in pain.

Misty grinned in success. "How do you like that? My newest combination attack. Starmie begins using Rapid Spin on the water, creating a wave. It then crashes down on its opponent, almost if it were using Surf, even without knowing the attack."

Starmie screeched at its trainer's words. Red nodded understandingly at her. If Pikachu took damage from that move again, he would surely faint. Red decided to take the risk, however. Pikachu slowly got up, panting.

"Now, use Water Pulse!"

"Destroy it with Iron Tail."

Starmie began forming an orb of water in its core, just like Staryu. This time, however, the orb was much bigger. When it finished, Starmie released it towards Pikachu. In response, the yellow mouse's tail glowed silver and smashed it towards Starmie's attack.

"Starmie, use Rapid Spin! Full power!"

"Quick Attack."

Both Pokémon lunged at each other in a showdown of speed. Starmie reached Pikachu first, having more speed and power than the yellow mouse. They were locked in a stalemate, each of them not giving in to the other. A sudden idea brewed through Red's mind, though.

"Thundershock."

Pikachu released a jolt of electricity, which Starmie could not avoid due to the close distance between them. The Star Shape Pokémon screeched in pain, as its core began glowing a lighter shade of red, indicating loss of its HP.

"Ugh… Get out of there, Starmie! Use Rapid Spin on the water then crash down on Pikachu!"

Starmie could get out of Pikachu's range quickly by using Rapid Spin and jumped into the water again, creating another wave. When it was finished, it crashed down on Pikachu. The yellow mouse took the hit, as there wasn't anything he could do to avoid it. Pikachu stood on the ground, swirls on his eyes, indicating he fainted. Sighing, Red approached Pikachu and patted his head. The yellow mouse only said "Pika…" in a sad tone but Red smiled at him, thanking him for the good job he had done. Leaf approached Red and smiled at him, gesturing to give Pikachu to her. He nodded and smiled back at her.

Next, Red took a Pokeball from his pocket and threw it, releasing the Pokémon inside it.

"Bulba!"

Bulbasaur came out, ready to battle. Misty smirked at this, leaving Red confused. "Still going for the type advantage, eh? I'm still prepared for that! Starmie, use Psywave!"

Starmie's core began glowing a deeper shade of red. It then fired light blue rings at Bulbasaur, dealing a lot of damage. The Seed Pokémon yelled its name in pain, while Red gritted his teeth. How was he going to win now?

Leaf saw this and stood up with Pikachu on her hands, intent on cheering for her friend.

"You can do it! Don't give up!"

"Pika-Pi!"

Both trainer and Pokémon looked curiously to where those two were. Red and Bulbasaur smiled deeply at them, somehow having found new strength to continue the battle.

"Okay Starmie! Use Rapid Spin on the water once more!"

Starmie repeated the same process as before. Red began analyzing the situation at hand. Each time Misty ordered the Star Shape Pokémon to do that attack, the water level of the pool decreased a bit. If Starmie did the attack one more time after this, it would surely hit itself. But that wasn't Red's main concern. Just how exactly would Bulbasaur evade the attack? If Bulbasaur fainted, Red technically lost. If Charmander took a couple of Water Pulse attacks, he was as good as fainted. Or worst, if he fell into the water, Charmander could die. Red didn't want to take risks.

However… If Misty used the battlefield to her advantage, he would too. How, you ask? Well…

"Use the swimming tube and jump as high as you can."

"Saur?"

In response to the Seed Pokémon's questioning face, Red just nodded, his eyes closed. Bulbasaur stared at his trainer for a bit, before nodding at him and doing what his trainer told him.

"Are you serious…?" Leaf asked, sweatdropping. Red only nodded at her. Misty herself just stared, wondering what his next move could be.

"Whatever it is you have planned, it won't work! Now Starmie!"

Starmie and the wave it created crashed down towards Bulbasaur. But to the surprise of both Gym Leader and Pokémon, Bulbasaur wasn't there.

"What?" Misty asked, in disbelief. "Where is it?"

As if on cue, Bulbasaur appeared in the air, approaching Starmie. Misty widened her eyes at this.

"Razor Leaf."

Sharp cutting leaves appeared from Bulbasaur's bulb. They quickly moved towards Starmie, dealing a lot of damage to the Star Shape Pokémon, whose core began flashing a lighter shade of red, indicating once more that it had lost health.

Misty groaned at this. "Ugh… And it was a crit, too!"

Bulbasaur then swiftly landed on the platform, awaiting his opponent's next move. Red smiled and nodded to him.

"Let's finish this quickly Starmie! Use Psywave!"

"Dodge it."

Starmie's core again began glowing a deeper shade of red, firing light blue rings of psychic energy towards the Seed Pokémon. Bulbasaur tried to run as fast as he could, but it was of no use. He again yelled his name in pain, as the Psywave attack dealt a tremendous amount of damage. Bulbasaur stood on the ground, not moving.

"And the battle goes to Misty, the Gym Lead- huh?"

Bulbasaur stood up, a green aura surrounding him. It was his ability, Overgrow, activated again.

"Bulba-saur!"

"Whew… There goes my win…" Misty said, sighing. "Let's finish this, Starmie! Use Water Pulse!"

"Razor Leaf."

Both attacks clashed, creating some kind of explosion. Both Pokémon panted heavily, but Starmie fell, its core flashing before "turning off"

"Starmie is unable to battle!"

Red smiled at Bulbasaur, who was panting heavily. But that wasn't the end of it, as Misty still had Staryu. However, as Staryu was paralyzed, the victory was almost Red's. Almost…

"Let's go Staryu!"

The pre-evolved form of Starmie appeared once more in the battlefield. However, there was something odd with it. It seemed as if the effects from paralysis were gone…

"Gotcha again, didn't I?" Misty asked, gaining the attention of both Red and Leaf. "That's Staryu's and Starmie's ability, Natural Cure. Upon switching out, all status problems are healed. Pretty useful, don't you think?"

Red sighed in frustration, while Pikachu and Leaf did the same. Thunder Wave was for nothing, it seems. But at least Red had the type advantage.

"Razor Leaf."

"Quick, Staryu! Use Harden!"

Sharp leaves again appeared from Bulbasaur's bulb. When they reached Staryu however, the Star Shape Pokémon shrugged them off as if they were nothing, thanks to protecting itself with Harden. Red decided to use another move.

"Take Down."

"Use Harden once more!"

Bulbasaur ran as fast as he could towards Staryu. Once more, however, the Star Shape Pokémon took the hit. Now, Red noticed Misty was on the defensive. Two could play at the same game, though.

"Sleep Powder."

"Oh no!" Misty exclaimed in a worried tone. "Use Rapid Spin to dodge it!"

Even though it worked for an extent, Sleep Powder took its toll on Staryu. The Star Shape Pokémon stood on the ground, not moving. It made some kind of weird screeches, as if it were snoring.

"Come on Staryu! Wake up!"

However, it still didn't have any effect. Red only smirked. This battle was his for the taking.

"Razor Leaf."

Once more, sharp leaves appeared from Bulbasaur's bulb and were shot towards Staryu. The Star Shape Pokémon didn't dodge the attack due to the effects of Sleep Powder, taking it in full force. Its core flashed, before it stumbled to the ground, indicating that if fainted.

"Staryu is unable to battle! The match goes to the challenger, Red of Pallet Town!"

The Seed Pokémon sighed in relief, before collapsing. Red smiled and approached Bulbasaur, patting him on the head. He deserved a long rest for all the work he had done…

Pikachu quickly approached and hugged Red, surprising him a bit. Leaf did the same, though she couldn't go as fast as the yellow mouse due to her condition.

"See? I told you! You can do it!"

He blushed deeply at her as always. On the other side, Misty sighed, returning Staryu to its Pokeball. She then approached Red, putting her arm on his shoulder.

"What an intense battle! I had a lot of time since I had a battle like that." Misty said, while Red nodded. She then suddenly made an "o" with her mouth and remembered something. "Well… not really. Since yesterday to be exact. Some spiky haired kid came too and won the badge."

Both Red and Leaf sweatdropped at her sudden change of attitude. She then took from her pocket an object that looked like a light blue rain drop.

"This is the Cascade Badge. You have earned it, err-" Misty paused as she didn't know her challenger's name.

"Red."

"Right, Red. Please take it."

Red took the badge from her hands, smiling as he placed it on his jacket, right next to the Boulder Badge.

"Also…" Misty continued, gaining his attention once more. "This is a token of my appreciation. It's a move called Water Pulse. You didn't see it in our battle, but a Pokémon using Water Pulse can sometimes confuse its target!"

Red nodded understandingly, while Leaf looked curiously at the disc. Both our heroes and Misty talked for a bit longer, getting to know each other more. Just as Red and Leaf were going to the Pokémon Center however…

"MISTY!" yelled a woman who looked no older than thirty years old. She approached the Gym Leader running, worry in her face. Misty was taken aback by this.

"What happened!?"

The woman caught her breath before replying to the Gym Leader.

"Team Rocket… They robbed one of the houses in the city… The one near Route 9. They stole money and a TM for Dig… The owners of the house are badly injured…"

Misty immediately widened her eyes, realizing the danger in which the city was.

"Team Rocket won't do their misdeeds here! Not on MY watch!"

She put on a pair of red and white sneakers and began running for the door as fast as she could, but stopped and turned around just as she did so.

"Oh, right. I'm not sure about you." Misty said, pointing to Leaf. "But I know Red can hold his own in battle. So get ready, and let's go kick some Rocket ass!"

The Gym Leader quickly left the gym. Red sweatdropped at her, while Leaf let out a "Hmph.", glaring at the way she went. And so, our heroes found themselves in another predicament with Team Rocket…

* * *

And that's it! Expect an epic chase and two evolutions in next chapter. For Red's and Misty's battle, I decided to have Starmie know Psywave and "improvise" Surf to make things difficult for Red. In the games, Psywave deals typeless damage even though it is a Psychic-type move. Here, it deals Psychic type damage, as it should. Also, I used "Star Shape" instead of "Mysterious" for Starmie's Pokedex entry. "Mysterious" just sounds kinda weird and enigmatic for it, as for example, there are many more "Mysterious" Pokémon in the Pokémon world aside from Starmie. For example if there is a Pokémon that you don't know, and by that logic, it is mysterious too.

Also, as I said all chapters will be revised for errors and will have more things added (hopefully). If you want, you can read all of them again! Trust me, it'll be worth it. Again, sorry for the delay. This week I had three tests and two essays bothering me. Sorry if this chapter had some problems, as Fanfiction's document editor failed me numerous times during the making of this, dunno why.

What are your thoughts about the new Zygarde and Greninja forms plus Pokémon GO? They sure are interesting. The trailer for Pokémon GO was epic. Augmented reality FTW!

Zygarde is probably the Pokémon with the most bizarre forms ever made. It has a form for its brain or core, for cells, a dog like form (totally unexpected), the 50% form or the "normal" one we are used to and a 100% or Complete form, which is said to exceed the power of Xerneas and Yveltal. That form also has the colors of them (Blue and Red) in its arms and chest. Greninja, in turn, has a form called "Ash-Greninja." Which apparently is a transformation. I thought that for both of them, they would have gone for the Mega Evolution way of things. Can't wait to see more of Pokémon Z (if that's how it's going to be called). Anyway, stay tuned for the next chapter!


	8. Quick Update! And Apology

Hey there! I'm still alive!

First things first. I must deeply apologize to all of you for not updating the history since September. School has made things way too difficult for me, and even though I've tried continuing on the story many, many times, one thing or the other prevents me from doing that. Tests, lots of essays, and complications in my life due to my Mom having to go far away for work and me having to do most of the things in the house, are some of them. As I promised on Chapter 1, I will not abandon this project. It means a lot to me.

Some of you may have noticed, but many of the chapters have been either prolonged or simply have been cut in a few words. I've fixed many of the grammar errors, and other things I may have put there without noticing. I may continue updating them, adding quite a few things here and there. I could not have done this without the help of PerilousFate. Seriously, thank you so much! And all of the reviewers too, thank you! Without you, the story couldn't have probably progressed.

On the bright side, chapter 8 is half done! There's going to be a surprise and something a lot of you may not have been expecting. I've improved my English quite a bit in the recents months, so I expect to do even better now. While I may not have updated in a while, the story has developed until its end. I've even begun developing the personalities, plots and teams for most of the characters in the next stories! Everything until BW2 has been "developed", with even the movies from Pokewood taking shape from real life shows! But no, I will not spoil you. We should finish this first. When I think of that, I wanna get there too! But then I remember that I have to finish this story first and go with the others. LOL

Anyway, congratulations to GameFreak, Nintendo, and The Pokemon Company for 20 years of Pokemon! Us fans, too! This makes me even happier and eager to continue with this story; The story of the game that began it all. Lastly, a question for you guys. If I make it to the Hoenn history, would you like me to keep updating this with shorts, something of an ask to the characters, or would you like me to just continue when the main characters from Johto get to Kanto? You decide!

Take care, and be expecting the next chapter around next week! Thanks a lot for waiting, and again, I'm deeply sorry about this… but I promise I will make it up to all of you!


	9. Underground Chase

**DISCLAIMER** : I do not own Pokémon! Pokémon and all its associated trademarks belong to Gamefreak, Nintendo and the Pokémon Company. Cover isn't mine either, rights belong to its author.

* * *

As I promised, here it is! A long chapter as an apology for all those months that I was away! I planned to post this yesterday but again I couldn't due to School (and subsequent sleep issues). Ugh…

Anyway, from now on, I will be using this to identify each specific dialog.

"Sample Text": This is the normal text. It is used when a _Human_ is speaking, as well as when narrating.

" _Sample Text":_ This is used when someone is thinking or reflecting about something, as well as in the "Last time on…" section.

" **Sample Text":** This is used by devices, such as the Pokedex and the PC. It represents a robotic or mechanical voice.

" _ **Sample Text":**_ This is used when _Pokémon_ are speaking in their own language, or in the future, when a Pokémon is using telepathy to communicate with humans.

* * *

 _ **Last time on The Crimson Legend…**_

 _Red handed Leaf the flowers he bought in the Flower Shop, much to her joy. The boy did the same for his Mom, sending them to her via PC. Leaf then proceeded to narrate the events that happened while he was away, something which didn't sit so well in our protagonist. When Leaf finished telling what had happened to her over the course of the afternoon, Red proceeded to do the same, eventually showing Leaf his newly acquired partner-Bulbasaur. The two friends and their Pokémon spent the remainder of the night merrily talking with each other._

 _The next morning, our heroes went to the Cerulean City Gym for Red's next badge. Asking for directions, they managed to get there pretty quickly. When they entered the Gym, they also discovered that the Gym Guide they met on the Pewter City Gym had another 7 twins, which also served the same purpose. After the mandatory challenge of defeating two trainers in a row, Red proceeded to meet Misty (who flirted with him almost instantly, much to his dismay) and a battle for Red's next badge, the Cascade Badge, began._

 _After a hard fought battle, Red managed to defeat Misty, using the battlefield to his advantage. Misty then handed our protagonist the Cascade Badge, which meant Red now had 2 badges, with 6 more to go to gain entry in the Pokémon League. However, just as our heroes were going out of the Gym, bad news arrived. Team Rocket had just robbed a house in full daylight! Those Rockets don't know when to stop, it seems._

 _And that brings us to the current time…_

Cerulean City, Kanto

11:25 A.M

"Ugh! Just who does she think she is?" Leaf yelled to Red, angry that Misty underestimated her due to her physical condition. "I can battle just as well as you, even if I don't have any badges."

Red only raised an eyebrow in response, seemingly mocking Leaf, which made her angrier.

"You're not helping, idiot!" The brunette yelled at him, almost releasing steam from her head.

"Well, should I?" Red asked, chuckling. She stuck her tongue at him in response.

"Whatever. I'm not going to lose my time bickering with you." The girl stated, turning to the side which was contrary of Red, as if opposing him. "Anyway, we shouldn't be here. We should get to the Pokémon Center and heal your team, before you follow her. They sure worked hard in this battle!"

Red looked towards the holster belt on his pants, on which his Pokeballs were safely put. Smiling, he nodded at his friend.

"Yeah, you're right. Let's go."

After walking some minutes, they again reached the Pokémon Center. Hastily, Red and Leaf went to the healing station in which the main nurse was. The nurse was apparently preoccupied with something on her computer, which didn't go unnoticed by Leaf.

"Hey! Stop playing Voltorbsweeper and help us out here!"

Red and some of the others who heard Leaf's outburst sweatdropped, while the nurse sighed and stood up, taking Red's Pokeballs minus the one of Charmander, which he kept on his belt.

"Please wait until I get detailed data on their condition." The nurse said to Red, who nodded. "And, you." She continued, pointing with her finger to Leaf. "Don't ever do that again. What if I lose my job, huh? Will you take over for me? Will you get me a new one?"

The brunette girl was a little intimidated and taken aback by the nurse's behavior, as she was only joking. She remained silent, only laughing nervously.

"Sigh… Get something better to do, kid. Talk to you in a couple of minutes."

The nurse took Bulbasaur and Pikachu's Pokeballs and put them into the machine which was next to her computer, beginning to analyze their health.

"Heh… seems like today isn't your day, is it?" Red asked Leaf, smirking. She again stuck her tongue at him, not seeming to mind what had happened that much. After some minutes, the nurse turned to face the two once more.

"Sorry, but you will need to come and pick up your Pokémon tomorrow morning. They are currently too exhausted, and using them once more in a battle would only result in trouble."

Red sighed, before nodding and thanking the nurse. The nurse smiled to him and proceeded to another room. Silence ensued between Red and Leaf, but eventually the girl broke it.

"What are you going to do, then?" Inquired the brunette, with a worried expression on her face. The boy sighed once more before replying to her.

"I'll be taking Charmander with me. Don't worry, I'll be fine." Red said, glancing towards the Fire Lizard's Pokeball.

"But what if you two encounter Team Rocket? What if they try one of their dirty tricks, like what happened at Mt. Moon? Red, I don't want you to get hurt…" The girl stated, a genuinely concerned look on her face.

"As I said, don't worry. If anything happens, I'll have Misty and Charmander with me. I trust in them. They're both strong." The boy reaffirmed, looking at Leaf with

"But-"

Just as Leaf was going to continue objecting, Red put his hand on her shoulder and smiled at the brunette, as if to reassure her.

"Really, Leaf. I'll be fine. Just wait for me."

The girl sighed in defeat before suddenly beginning to dig through her bag for something. A few moments later, she took a Pokeball and extended it over to Red.

"Then please… Take Bulbasaur with you. I'll feel safer that way."

The boy nodded and smiled at Leaf, taking her Bulbasaur's Pokeball and putting it on his belt, next to Charmander. He bowed to her and turned around, heading towards the main door of the Pokémon Center.

As her friend began to approach his destination, Leaf only looked at the way he followed with a worried expression, sighing.

" _Please, be safe… Red…"_

* * *

After asking for directions and gathering some clues from the people he inquired, Red managed to get to the house of the victims. Misty was waiting outside for him, impatiently tapping her feet on the floor.

"There you are! Took you long enough!"

Red widened his eyes and immediately bowed at the Gym Leader's accusation, while Misty only sweatdropped and scratched the back of her head.

"Hey, I was only joking, geez! Anyway, did you manage to get some info while on your way here?"

Red nodded at her in response, before telling her what he had gathered.

"I do. People said they saw people wearing a black uniform heading over the road there."

Red signaled with his finger to a road which was east of the house that was robbed. Misty nodded at him.

"That's what they told me too. Are your Pokémon fighting-fit? Just in case. I might have an idea about their whereabouts."

At her words, Red suddenly remembered what Leaf had told him. While it was true that he and Misty might be in danger if they decided to pursue them, the Rockets could easily go and rob another house, threatening innocent people and causing more damage.

"Hellooo? Red?" Misty asked, shaking Red out of his trance. The boy quickly nodded to Misty.

"Sorry, daydreaming. Yeah, they are. I've got two with me. I think we should be okay."

Misty nodded at him in response, then gestured forward.

"Okay then. Let's enter."

After knocking the door a few times, they were received by a police officer who was apparently also investigating on the case. A Growlithe was accompanying the officer, eagerly barking and shaking its tail.

"Hello Misty!" The officer greeted the Gym Leader. As Misty did the same, the officer then noticed Red and pointed to him. "Is that your friend?"

"Yeah, that's Red. He's accompanying me while we're investigating this." The Gym Leader replied, putting an arm around the boy's shoulder.

The officer nodded at her statement and invited the two trainers inside. Upon closer inspection, the house was a complete mess. Pokémon footprints were everywhere, many things were out of their place and worst of all, there was a massive hole in one of the walls of the house.

"Team Rocket sure did a big number here…" Misty said, examining the damage done by the crime organization.

"Indeed. Even us police officers have trouble dealing with the Rockets!" The officer affirmed.

"For some reason it doesn't surprise me…" Misty stated, looking at the officer and the Growlithe with a smug face.

"What's that supposed to mean?" The officer inquired, angry at being mocked by the Gym Leader.

Just as Misty was going to reply though, a middle aged man appeared with a girl that appeared to be his daughter due to their resemblances. The girl was sobbing and hid half of her face under the man's back.

"Those miserable Rockets! Look at what they did to my house, Misty! Not only they stole a TM for Dig and 10,000 in cash, but also they made a mess out of my house! That TM cost me a bundle, it did! And I was going to use that money to buy a gift for my daughter!" The man exclaimed at the Gym Leader with a pained expression. As he did so the girl began crying and sobbed harder, tugging closer to her father.

As the man finished his explanation, everyone's faces darkened. While Red and the officer and his Growlithe looked at the floor steadily, Misty had a look of anger and was clenching her hands in fists. Unexpectedly, she growled loudly and stormed off, exiting by the big hole in the wall of the house.

As she left, everyone looked confused as to why the Gym Leader had acted like that. Quickly excusing himself, Red went through the hole in the wall, following her. He found Misty in the alleyway of the house, sat on the floor with her legs crossed. Red quickly approached and sat next to her.

"Sorry for my sudden outburst back there." The Gym Leader said, apologizing to Red. "The truth is, I've been a Gym Leader since only a couple of months. There are a lot of things that I have to improve. We Gym Leaders don't only have the duty of battling trainers and giving them our badge. We've got to protect our respective area from threats such as Team Rocket. If we don't do that, we're failing not only as trainers and Gym Leaders, but also as the figure which most of the local people look up to. That's why I felt that way. I felt… powerless, watching those two go through that. I couldn't do anything to help them. This responsibility… it's just too much sometimes, you know?"

As she finished, tears ran through Misty's eyes. Red was surprised by her breakdown, and didn't know how to act. After some moments, he managed to regain his composure and found the right words to comfort her.

"Hey, don't be sad. Things like that are bound to happen. You can't change the future; But you can shape it with your own hands. Whatever you're facing, there's always a way of fixing or resolving it. When you feel depressed, like there's too much weight in your shoulders, just remember that. It'll always cheer you up."

"Sniff… Thank you, Red. I'll do just that." Misty said smiling, taking away the tears with her fingers.

"You're welcome."

The boy helped the Gym Leader stand up, reaching out to her. As she managed to stand up, she poked fun at Red's speech.

"I'm surprised! That's the most I've ever heard you talk!"

Red scratched the back of his head, a small hue of pink on his cheeks. This didn't go unnoticed by Misty, who began laughing at the boy, much to his dismay. Their merry moment was interrupted however, as they heard some rustling sounds in a nearby bush.

"Did you hear that?" Misty asked Red, who immediately nodded in response.

Misty promptly took a Pokeball from her pocket and threw it towards the bush, issuing an order to the Pokémon inside it at the same time.

"Psyduck, use Water Gun!"

A bipedal Pokémon that had a yellow colored body and a wide and flat beak which was cream-colored appeared from Misty's Pokeball. For some reason, it kept its hands in its head. Immediately, it released a small stream of water from its beak at the bush. Nothing happened, however.

Intrigued by Misty's Psyduck, Red decided to scan it with his Pokedex.

" **Psyduck, the Duck Pokémon. It is constantly wracked by a headache. When the headache turns intense, it begins using mysterious powers. While lulling its enemies with its vacant look, this wily Pokémon will use its psychokinetic powers."**

Now that he knew the cause of the Pokémon's weird behavior, Red put the Pokedex on his bag once more, satisfied. Misty, in turn, ordered another attack to the bush.

"Water Pulse!"

As the attack hit the bush once more, a small growl could be heard. As if on cue, a man wearing a black uniform appeared from it, soaked in water. Misty exploded at the sight of the man, pointing at him with her index finger.

"Team Rocket! What are you doing here?!"

"Me? Team Rocket?" The Grunt claimed, feigning ignorance. "I'm an innocent bystander. Don't you believe me?"

"Ha! You wish!" Misty said, mocking the man. "As if I could ever fall to tricks from the likes of you!"

"Hohoho… Quite the feisty girl, aren't you?" The grunt said, sarcastically. "You'll believe me, whether you like it or not! You won't remember anything anyway. Drowzee, use Hypnosis!"

"Oh no! Red, take cover!"

The Team Rocket Grunt released a bipedal Pokémon which had a yellow colored body, with the lower half of it being brown, making the Pokémon almost look like it was wearing shorts. It had a short trunk above its mouth. For some reason, its eyes had a vacant look and you could easily get lost in them.

The Rocket Grunt escaped while his Pokémon was attacking Red and Misty, heading towards the south. While the attack had not affected either Red or Misty, Misty's Psyduck couldn't dodge it in time and was currently asleep, much to her frustration.

"Ugh! Please, Psyduck! Get up!"

No matter her efforts, it still wasn't waking up. The Drowzee, in turn, used what appeared to be Confusion and lifted Psyduck into the air, quickly smashing it towards the floor few seconds later. Misty returned the Duck Pokémon to its Pokeball to prevent it from taking further damage. As she did so, however…

" _ **Drowzee…"**_

The yellow colored Pokémon began to wave its hands together, exclaiming its name numerous times. Misty widened her eyes in realization of what was coming.

"It's going to use Hypnosis again, Red!"

The boy nodded to the Gym Leader in response. Once the Drowzee finished waving its hands, it released multicolored circles from them. Red and Misty moved quickly and took cover once more, under a nearby rock. While they were there, the boy decided to scan the Pokémon with his Pokedex.

" **Drowzee, the Hypnosis Pokémon. A descendant of the baku, which is said to eat dreams. It is skilled at hypnotism. It puts enemies to sleep, then eats their dreams. Occasionally gets sick from eating bad dreams."**

The Pokedex wasn't able to give any relevant information on how to defeat Drowzee. Sighing, Red thought for some seconds, then stared at his Pokeballs. Almost instantly an idea brewed in his mind. Two could play at game, Drowzee. Two could play at a game.

"Bulbasaur, use Tackle and follow it up with Sleep Powder."

Wasting no time, Bulbasaur appeared from its Pokeball and took down Drowzee to the floor using Tackle, effectively immobilizing it. The Seed Pokémon then released a sparkling, light blue powder from the bulb on its back. Immediately, Drowzee fell asleep. As it snored, Misty sighed in relief.

"Whew… Thanks, Red. You're a real life saver."

As he returned Bulbasaur to his Pokeball the boy smiled at the Gym Leader and nodded in response. Suddenly, the girl facepalmed and grunted in frustration.

"Arceus! We shouldn't even be here! Now that his Drowzee is asleep and won't give us any trouble, let's give chase to the Grunt, Red! Team Rocket's actions won't be unpunished!"

Misty and Red began following the direction that the Grunt followed. Whilst doing so, Leaf's words of warning still reverberated in Red's head. However, he had already made up his mind. Neither he nor Misty would stand for Team Rocket's acts of mischief, even if it made that they would get injured by doing so.

" _Sorry, Leaf… But I have to do this."_

* * *

After walking for some time, the Gym Leader and the boy didn't manage to find anything or anyone related to Team Rocket yet, much to Misty's dismay. The Gym Leader decided to take some minutes to rest, before continuing on.

"Anyway, I didn't know you had two Bulbasaur. That one seems different from the one you used in our battle. It has different patterns in its body." Misty said, observant of the differences between the two Pokémon.

"It isn't mine really. It belongs to my best friend, Leaf." Red clarified, taking a glance towards Bulbasaur's Pokeball.

"Oh… So that's her name, Leaf." Misty said, while looking staring at Red with interest.

At the mention of the name of his crush, Red's cheeks turned pink as he nodded to the Gym Leader. Again, this didn't go unnoticed by her, as she chuckled watching Red's reaction.

"A-anyway, do you have any idea where he could h-have gone?" Red asked, stuttering. Misty giggled before replying.

"Well, I did tell you that I had an idea as to where they might be before he appeared out of the bush. It's nearby. Follow me."

Red followed the Gym Leader for a couple of minutes until they got to a small building, which had a simple construction and a big gate on its entrance.

"This is the Underground Path. It travels under Saffron City and goes directly to Vermilion City, which should be your next Gym challenge. Some people use it as a shortcut to get from Cerulean to Vermilion. Possibly the shadiest place around these parts. Perfect for hiding, if you ask me."

Red nodded at Misty in response. Sure enough, the building gave off a shady vibe. Team Rocket would probably choose a place like this to hide. Misty gestured forward to Red, and the two entered the building. Going down some stairs, everything went black.

"It's really dark here…" Red said looking around restlessly for a source of light, to no avail. True, he could just use Charmander and light the way with its tail, but he didn't know where he was going either with the darkness, and didn't want to put the Pokémon's safety in danger.

"Staryu, use Flash!"

Almost instantly the path brightened up, taking over the darkness that was before. The core on Misty's Staryu was shining brightly as it lighted up the area.

"I bet you're surprised, huh?" Misty asked Red, who nodded in response. "Well, even though your Pokémon may have fainted, they still can use some moves outside of battle. When they faint, it just means that they don't have any energy left to battle. If they continue battling after fainting, then things are going to get quite ugly."

Just as the Gym Leader finished her explanation, some footsteps could be heard.

"Well, well, well. Look what we've got here…" The Team Rocket Grunt said, appearing in full view to the Gym Leader and the boy.

"It's you! You're the Grunt from before!" Misty yelled angrily at the Grunt, who nodded in response.

"Well, I thought Drowzee would've made quick work out of you two, but looks like I was wrong." The Grunt said, sighing. "So much for a job well done…"

"Hah! Did you seriously think that a Pokémon from a weak underling like you could beat us so easily?" The Gym Leader said, laughing at the Grunt. The Grunt only smirked in response, something which confused both Red and Misty.

"I wouldn't be so confident if I was you, girly…"

As if on cue, another Grunt appeared, accompanied by a Pokémon that had a humanoid form, its body colored gray. It had three brown ridges on top of its head and the muscles in its body were quite developed for its size.

"Machop, use Low Kick!"

The Pokémon followed its trainer's orders and quickly ran towards Red and Misty. When it reached them it swiped its leg and made them trip, making them fall to the floor instantly.

"Why you dirty…" Misty snarled at the Grunt while standing up. "I'll show you! Wooper, let's go!"

"Rattata, send them back to where they came from!"

While the Grunt from Cerulean City sent out a Rattata, a small Pokémon that had a blue colored body appeared from Misty's Pokeball. Compared to its body, its head was quite large. It had small, round, black eyes and purple, branching gills on either side of its head. It didn't look like much, but Red decided not to judge the Pokémon by its looks. He in turn released Bulbasaur from its Pokeball. Before making any move though Red decided to scan the two new Pokémon with his Pokedex.

" **Machop, the Superpower Pokémon. Its whole body is composed of muscles and it loves to build them. It trains in all styles of martial arts to become even stronger. Even though it's the size of a human child, it can hurl 100 grown-ups."**

" **Wooper, the Water Fish Pokémon. This Pokémon lives in cold water. It will leave the water to search for food when it gets cold outside. When it walks around on the ground, it coats its body with a slimy, poisonous film. The film causes a shooting pain if touched barehanded."**

"Seriously, Red. Now is not the time to use that!" Misty objected, shaking Red by the collar of his shirt. The boy muttered an apology and faced towards his opponent, the Gym Leader doing the same.

"All right! Wooper, use Mud Shot on Machop!"

"Razor Leaf."

"Rattata, use Quick Attack on Wooper! Don't let it get to Machop!"

"Machop, Karate Chop on the brat's Bulbasaur!"

The Water Fish Pokémon quickly fired multiple small balls of mud towards Machop, but they couldn't reach their target as the Grunt's Rattata intercepted and hit Wooper with Quick Attack. The Water Fish Pokémon got in the way of Bulbasaur and as so it couldn't manage to fire its attack, instead getting hit by the Superpower Pokémon's Karate Chop. Red decided to change plans and went for a different approach.

"Leech Seed on Machop."

A seed sprouted from the bulb in Bulbasaur's back and was quickly shot towards the Superpower Pokémon.

"Quick, dodge it!"

Machop was easily able to evade the Seed Pokémon's attack, much to Red's dismay. Seeing that her partner didn't have much luck, Misty decided to try and see how things worked out for her.

"Wooper, use Water Gun on Rattata!"

"Rattata, use Hyper Fang!"

The Water Fish Pokémon released a spiral of water from its mouth and somehow managed to stop Rattata with it, the water blocking its eyes. Seeing this as an opportunity to finish one of the opponents, Red decided to attack the Rat Pokémon too.

"Take Down on the Rattata."

"Oh no you don't!" The Grunt commanding the Machop said, seeing what Red had in mind. "Machop, use Low Kick!"

Bulbasaur charged towards the Rat Pokémon, but it was blocked by Machop, who had taken the hit for Rattata. Machop quickly stood up after being hit and made Bulbasaur trip by using Low Kick. Though it wasn't very effective, it at least managed to protect Rattata from being hit once more.

"Ugh!" Misty said, gritting her teeth. "Wooper, use Mud Shot on Machop!"

"Rattata, use Bite on Bulbasaur!"

"Machop, use Karate Chop on the Bulbasaur too!"

Neither Misty nor Red were expecting that the two Grunts were going to attack Bulbasaur at once. The boy widened his eyes, seeing that it was nearly impossible to escape the oncoming onslaught. However, this also gave him quite the opportunity, if timed well. He waited until both Rattata and Machop were near enough to command his next attack.

"Leech Seed, on both of them."

Neither of the Rocket grunts saw this coming either, and even as they commanded their Pokémon to stop, it was too late. Once more, a seed sprouted from Bulbasaur's bulb. The Grass type shot it at Machop first, then repeated the process with Rattata. Soon enough, restraining vines that drained energy started to grow on both Pokémon.

"Great timing Red!" Misty praised the boy, who nodded in response. "Keep up the pressure! Wooper, use Mud Shot on the Rattata!"

"Vine Whip on Machop."

Again, the Water Fish Pokémon quickly fired multiple small balls of mud towards the Grunt's Rattata, while Bulbasaur extended its vines towards Machop. Although Rattata could avoid Wooper's attack due to its superior speed, the Superpower Pokémon couldn't dodge Bulbasaur's attack and suffered quite some damage.

"Damn it! Rattata, use Hyper Fang!

"Machop, Tackle on the Wooper!"

As it reached Bulbasaur, the Rat Pokémon's front teeth glowed red. Machop, in turn, quickly approached Bulbasaur as it charged towards the Grass type.

"Wooper, protect Bulbasaur! Use Slam!"

"Dodge the Hyper Fang and use Razor Leaf on both of them."

With its tail, Wooper successfully stopped Rattata once more, then slammed it on the ground. Before the Fighting type could reach the Water Fish Pokémon, Bulbasaur shot out many sharp leaves from its bulb towards both Machop and Rattata, dealing some major damage to both of them.

"Let's wrap this up, Red!" Misty exclaimed to the boy, who nodded in response.

"Use Mud Shot on Machop!"

"Vine Whip on the Rattata."

The Grunts ordered their respective Pokémon to dodge the attacks, but it was to no avail, as the effect from Leech Seed again took its toll on them just in that moment. Both Pokémon fainted after being hit, with the Grunts returning them to their Pokeballs.

"Hah! Piece of cake!" Misty gloated, looking down at the Team Rocket Grunts.

"Take it back, you stupid brat!" The Grunt commanding the Rattata said, running towards Misty. Before any harm could befall her, however…

"Bulbasaur, use Vine Whip and throw Wooper to his face!"

True to its Pokedex entry, once the Water type came into contact with the Grunt's face, the Grunt began yelping and crying in pain.

"I gotta admit, it's quite useful." Misty said to Red, smirking. The boy rolled his eyes as he chuckled.

"You bastards…!" The Grunt snarled, as he recovered from the pain. Just as he did so, though…

"That is enough, Grunts."

Two more people entered the scene. The owner of the voice was a man with teal colored hair and eyes, with a fairly normal physique and a calm, but slightly intimidating expression on his face. Accompanying him was a woman with red hair and eyes and a somewhat skinny body. Compared to the man, the woman didn't look as scary. Both of them looked in their late twenties. On the woman's shoulder was a small, bird-like Pokémon that had a black body, yellow beak and red eyes. In comparison to the Grunts he had seen before, Red noticed that both of them had more elegant and classy uniforms.

"You two are seriously good for nothing. Not only did you fail to rob some people without being caught, but also two kids followed you! Boss ought to punish you severely for this!" The woman said, chastising the two Grunts.

" _ **Good for nothing! Good for nothing!"**_ The Pokémon said, laughing at the two grunts. Red and Misty widened their eyes at the black bird, with Misty urging Red to pinch her in order to see if this was all a dream or if the bird had really talked.

"We're sorry, executives! We promise it won't happen again!"

"Sigh… Just get out of here, before I begin to lose my temper." The male executive commanded, while glaring at the Grunts. Both of them nodded and quickly ran towards the exit of the Underground Path. The Grunts were apparently quite scared of the two "executives" as they were so called.

"Who are you?" Misty asked, narrowing her eyes at the newcomers. Both of them smirked, as the female took what apparently looked like a portable music player from her pocket. It began playing classical music with many instruments. Both the Gym Leader and Red sweatdropped, not knowing what to say.

"Prepare for trouble!"

"Make it double!"

"To protect the world from devastation!"

"To unite all people within our nation!"

"To denounce the evils of truth and love!

"To extend our reach to the stars above!"

"Ariana!"

"Archer…"

"Team Rocket, blast off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now, or prepare to fight!"

" _ **Murkrow! That's right!"**_

"Wha…" Red said, dumbstruck.

"This seems familiar…" Misty said, staring at the Team Rocket executives. "Where have I seen this before? Maybe on TV?"

"Nothing of the sort." The female, now known as Ariana, said as she

"What compels you two to stand against Team Rocket?" The male, now known as Archer, asked, completely ignoring the act that he and his partner staged just now. Misty took a step forward before answering to his question.

"You goons robbed innocent people in my city! I won't and will never stand for that! So you better return what you stole, or face the consequences!"

"Is that so?" Ariana asked. "If you want it that badly, then take it. We don't need it anymore."

She flung a disc at Red and Misty, the boy approaching it to confirm it was the TM that was previously stolen. Indeed, the words "TM28: Dig" were engraved in it, confirming his doubts.

"What about the money?" Misty asked, glaring at the executives. Ariana smirked at the Gym Leader before replying to her query.

"What about the money, you ask? Well, we already sent it to Headquarters. It's currently being put to good use, no need to worry."

Misty gritted her teeth at the female executive, but before she could do anything, Archer intervened.

"Now, now, you shouldn't be angry little girl. It's bad for your health." The male executive said, mocking the Gym Leader. "Anyway, you two should turn back now. If you don't, then face the consequences."

"I won't get out of here until you miscreants run with your tail between your legs!" Misty declared, fiercely glaring at both executives.

Archer only smirked in response. He took a Pokeball from his pocket and released the Pokémon inside it. A quadruped, canine Pokémon that was mainly black with a long orange snout and an orange underbelly appeared from the executive's Pokeball. It had small, red eyes and a black nose. Around its neck was a white band with a small skull-shaped pendant on its throat. It had two white bands on each of its ankles, as well as three rib-like ridges on its back, as well as a long, skinny tail with a triangular tip. On top of its head were a pair of long, curved gray horns. Truly, it was a Pokémon that inspired fear on those who looked at it. Both Red and Misty widened their eyes at it in fear. Judging by its appearance, the Pokémon looked like a Dark type. The boy decided to scan both the Murkrow and Archer's Pokémon with it to confirm his doubts.

" **Houndoom, the Dark Pokémon. Upon hearing its eerie howls, other Pokémon get the shivers and head straight back to their nests. If you are burned by the flames it shoots from its mouth, the pain will never go away."**

" **Murkrow, the Darkness Pokémon. Feared and loathed by many, it is believed to bring misfortune to all those who see it at night. It is said that when chased, it lures its attacker onto dark mountain trails where the foe will get lost."**

Yep. The Pokémon, now known as Houndoom, was indeed a Dark type. What Red had not expected was that it also was a Fire type. As long as Misty's Wooper didn't faint or suffer a lot of damage, there was still a chance…

"I will repeat myself one last time. Turn back now, or face the consequences." The male executive warned, narrowing his eyes at both Red and Misty. As he finished, his Pokémon howled loudly and menacingly, as if agreeing with its trainer. Red and Misty looked at each other for some moments and nodded.

"We'll never turn our backs to innocent people!" Misty affirmed, looking at both executives with a determined expression. "Wooper, use Water Gun on that beast!

"Vine Whip on the Murkrow."

Both Pokémon obeyed their trainer's orders and launched their respective attacks at their targets. While Bulbasaur was able to knock Murkrow of Ariana's shoulder, Houndoom was seemingly unfazed by the attack of the Water Fish Pokémon, much to Misty's shock. Both executives glared at the boy and the Gym Leader, before ordering their Pokémon to attack.

"As you wish. Houndoom, use Bite on the girl's Wooper!"

"Murkrow, use Wing Attack on the Bulbasaur!"

Before Misty could get a chance to command an order, the Houndoom approached at an incredibly fast speed and savagely bit the Water Fish Pokémon, making it cry in pain. After some seconds Houndoom let go of the Water type, it immediately fell to the ground, signaling that it fainted.

"What?" Misty asked in disbelief. "How could this happen…?"

"It's your fault, really. It was you who decided to battle. You're lucky that Houndoom was gentle with the poor thing." Archer taunted, angering the Gym Leader. Growling in frustration, she returned Wooper to its Pokeball. She searched for another Pokeball in her pocket, but then it hit her. All her Pokémon were fainted. Except Psyduck, of course, but it was asleep. Putting the Duck Pokémon to battle would only put it at risk.

Red widened his eyes at the sheer power that Houndoom had, almost forgetting about Bulbasaur and what he had at hand.

"Take Down before it hits you."

Murkrow was quickly approaching the Grass type, its wings glowing white. Bulbasaur charged towards the Dark and Flying type, jumping and taking it down to the floor. Ariana gritted her teeth in frustration. Red then looked at Misty in confusion, seeing that the Gym Leader didn't have any Pokémon in battle.

"Sorry, Red. I don't have any Pokémon left..." Misty said, apologizing to the boy. "I've let you down…"

The boy shook his head and put a reassuring hand on the Gym Leader's shoulder, surprising her.

"Don't worry about it. I got this."

Red released Charmander from its Pokeball, the Fire Lizard quickly getting into battle position.

"What? Are you crazy?! You plan on facing both of them alone?" Misty asked, not believing the boy's actions. Red just nodded in response, not even giving the Gym Leader a chance to rebuke him.

"Sigh… At least, give this to Bulbasaur. I saved it for a special occasion." The Gym Leader said, tossing what appeared to be a berry to the boy. As Red caught it, he saw that it was indeed an Oran Berry. Wasting no time, the boy handed it to the Seed Pokémon, who immediately chewed the fruit and regained most of its health.

"Well, aren't we cocky?" Ariana asked to the boy, who didn't bother to reply to her. "Arrogance will be your downfall, boy. Murkrow, use Night Shade!"

"Houndoom, use Ember!

While the Dark and Fire type opened its mouth and shoots bolts of fire out of it at Bulbasaur, Murkrow's eyes glowed blue as it shot out a beam out of its beak towards Charmander.

"Dodge their attacks."

But even as he commanded the duo of starters to dodge the attacks, it was too late. Both were hit hard by their moves, falling to the ground. They quickly stood up, however, and were once again ready to face their opponents.

"Charmander, Dragon Rage on the Murkrow. Bulbasaur, Take Down on Houndoom."

"Murkrow, dodge it then use Wing Attack!"

"Houndoom, use Bite on the Bulbasaur."

While Bulbasaur and Houndoom got into a stalemate, eventually the Dark Pokémon managed to use Bite on the Grass type, dealing quite some damage to it. Charmander managed to stop Murkrow with its attack and successfully hit it, the impact of the Fire Lizard's move being enough to throw Murkrow to the ground. Red decided to try something different, in order to gain advantage.

"Bulbasaur, Sleep Powder on Houndoom. Charmander, Metal Claw in Murkrow."

"Murkrow, dodge the Charmander's attack and protect Houndoom! Use your Whirlwind to dissipate the powder!"

Murkrow evaded the Fire type's move by flying away from it. Even though the Fire Lizard jumped and jumped, trying to reach Murkrow, it was useless. Having wings and the ability to fly was something Charmander coveted, still a long way from getting there. When Bulbasaur made its move, Murkrow batted its wings quite fast, creating a whirlwind. Needless to say, this annulated the effectiveness of Sleep Powder, much to Red and Misty's dismay.

"Bulbasaur, Sleep Powder again. Charmander, Ember."

Hoping that using a Fire type move would cause damage to Murkrow before it attempted anything, Red commanded the Fire Lizard to use Ember in conjunction with Bulbasaur's Sleep Powder. However, the same scene as before happened. The female executive commanded her Pokémon to use dodge Charmander's attack by flying away, then using its wings and clear the area of Sleep Powder.

"Bulbasaur, Leech Seed on Houndoom. Charmander, Ember once more. "

Bulbasaur released a seed from its bulb and shot it towards Houndoom, but Ariana's Murkrow once destroyed the seed with its wings. At the same time, Charmander spun around quickly and sent sparks flying from its tail towards it. The Dark and Flying type managed to avoid being hit by flying away, however.

With Murkrow on the battlefield, the chances of Ivysaur using a status move on Houndoom were almost impossible. The Darkness Pokémon always found a way to intercept the attack or stop Bulbasaur. Getting annoyed by this, Red decided to take down the Dark and Flying type first. However, if things backfired, then the situation would be reversed and Houndoom would be protecting the black bird. The boy decided to lure both of them, then strike at Murkrow when it was close enough, preventing it from escaping.

"Well, if you're not going to attack, we'll do it." Ariana said. "Murkrow, use Wing Attack!"

"Houndoom, use Bite!"

" _Perfect."_ Red thought, seeing that things were going to plan, patiently waiting for the correct time to strike.

"Red, do something!" Misty yelled at the boy, as she watched both Dark types approach Bulbasaur and Charmander. Both starters seemed to have caught a wind of the boy's plan, as neither of them was protesting nor looking at Red with confusion.

"Dodge their attacks and get behind Murkrow. Charmander, Dragon Rage. Bulbasaur, Take Down."

Both Pokémon did as commanded and dodge the attacks that were coming to them. Quickly, they got behind Murkrow and attacked it with their respective moves. As a result of the combined attack, the Dark and Flying instantly fell to the ground, signaling that it fainted.

"Stupid brat…" Ariana growled at the boy, as she returned the black bird to its Pokeball. Red paid no heed to her, instead focusing on the male executive.

"This has gone far enough." Archer stated, narrowing his eyes at Red. "Houndoom, use Flamethrower! Full power!"

Houndoom released a quite large red-orange stream of fire from its mouth at both Bulbasaur and Charmander. The duo of starter Pokémon suffered great damage by the attack, making the both of them fall to the ground in piercing pain. The intensity of the attack was such that Red and Misty had to lower themselves to the ground in order to avoid it. Even as they did so, the stream of fire burned a slight part of Red's jacket and almost did the same to Misty.

"Sigh… Is that all you can do?" Archer asked, mocking the boy. "Do you seriously expect to stop Team Rocket like that? I've already told you, boy. You should do yourself a favor and just give up now. Run away before it's too late."

Red, still on the floor, glanced towards his Pokémon. As he watched their weakened state, for a second he really thought about running away and just be done with everything. But in doing so, he would not only be failing the people who were robbed, but also he would be failing Misty, the girl being quite trusting on him in all of this. As images of the recent events began to flow on his mind, he slowly stood up, glaring at both of the Team Rocket executives.

"I won't give up! No matter what happens, I will never give in to you, Team Rocket!"

As if responding to Red's fervent wish, both Pokémon suddenly stood up and their bodies began glowing in different colors, red for Charmander and green for Bulbasaur. With each second that passed, their bodies began growing bigger and expanded. Bulbasaur's bulb began blooming into a large bud, with leafy green fronds surrounding it, while a horn-like protrusion appeared on Charmander's head, the fire on the tail of Red's starter growing brighter and stronger. As the process finished, both Pokémon had new found strength. They had evolved.

" _ **Charmeleon!"**_

" _ **Ivy-saur!"**_

Red smiled widely, surprised at the sudden turn of events. He quickly scanned both newly evolved Pokémon with his Pokedex.

" **Charmeleon, the Flame Pokémon. When it swings its burning tail, it elevates the air temperature to unbearably high levels. It lashes about with its tail to knock down its foe. It then tears up the fallen opponent with sharp claws.** **Tough fights can excite this Pokémon. When excited, it may blow out bluish-white flames from its tail."**

" **Ivysaur, the Seed Pokémon. When it absorbs nutrients, the bulb is said to blossom into a large flower, allowing it to evolve once more. The aroma coming from the bulb on its back is stronger the nearer that moment is. When the bulb on its back grows large, it appears to lose the ability to stand on its hind legs."**

True to its Pokedex entry, the fire on Charmeleon's tail was colored predominantly blue.

"Even if your Pokémon evolved, it is of no matter." Archer said, looking down at the two newly evolved Pokémon. "Houndoom, use Bite on the Ivysaur!"

"Ivysaur, dodge it. Charmeleon, Dragon Rage!"

Ivysaur moved away just in time, making the Dark Pokémon fail its move. Just as Ivysaur dodged, Charmeleon created a red-orange ball of energy, which was bigger and more powerful than when it was a Charmander. Rapidly shooting it, the Houndoom took quite some damage but still looked. Now that Murkrow was gone, Red decided to try some moves to get the advantage.

"Charmeleon, hold Houndoom by its tail. Give Ivysaur enough time for Sleep Powder."

"Houndoom, don't let it catch you!"

Though it tried, Charmeleon wasn't nearly as fast as Houndoom and it had difficulty catching up. Red noticed this, but didn't know what to do. Suddenly, he remembered his previous battle with the grunts, specifically the one commanding Machop. The fighting type used an attack that dealt damage and made the opponent trip, making them fall to the ground. After that, the Pokémon was vulnerable for a couple of seconds. It was apparently called Low Kick. He then glanced at Ivysaur, and another idea brewed in his mind.

"Ivysaur, Vine Whip to make it trip!"

Charmeleon moved out of the way as the boy commanded the Grass type to use Vine Whip. Though Houndoom avoided Ivysaur's vines many times, the Seed Pokémon still managed to make it trip with them, wrapping Houndoom with the vines in order to prevent it from escaping.

"Ivysaur, Sleep Powder."

"Houndoom, free yourself and get out of there fast!"

Although the Dark Pokémon obeyed the command of its trainer, its efforts were nullified by the strength of Ivysaur's grip. Still holding the Dark Pokémon, Ivysaur released a sparkling, blue powder from the bud on its back. While both executives managed to dodge the attack, Houndoom was directly affected by it.

"Charmeleon, Dragon Rage. Ivysaur, Leech Seed."

The Fire type once more created a red-orange ball in its mouth and shot it at Houndoom, the Dark and Fire type again taking quite some damage from it. Ivysaur then proceeded to shoot many seeds from the bud on its back to Houndoom, which began restraining it and zapping its health.

"Houndoom, wake up!" Archer yelled to the Dark Pokémon, who still wasn't responding to his commands.

"It's useless." Red said, glancing at Houndoom then at its trainer. "It's not going to wake up any time soon. Now it's my time to say it; Turn back now, or face the consequences."

Archer laughed at the boy's words, not caring at all that he was losing nor that his Pokémon was in that condition.

"Quite an amusing kid you are, boy. So be it."

One more combination attack from Ivysaur and Charmeleon, and Houndoom was going down. Red tipped his cap downwards so that it covered his eyes, as he commanded the duo to use their most powerful moves.

"Charmeleon, Mega Kick! Ivysaur, Take Down!

Both attacked the Dark Pokémon with all of their might. As they finished, both panted from exhaustion. All the effort wasn't in vain, though. The Dark Pokémon fell to the ground almost instantly after the combined effort of the duo. Both Pokémon sighed, relieved that the Dark and Fire type had finally fallen. As they did so, the fire on the tail of Charmeleon went back from blue to its normal color.

Archer closed his eyes and smirked, returning Houndoom to its Pokeball without saying a single word.

"Hmph. Not bad." Ariana commented as she eyed the boy. "But don't get all high and mighty just because you beat us, kid. Team Rocket's influence extends beyond your imagination. I advise you to be very afraid of what is to come!"

The male executive nodded at her words, as if to make their point clear.

"Well, it has been a pleasure, but we must go now. There are other important things we must do. Next time we meet, however, don't expect things to end like this. This is your last warning."

As he finished, the male executive took one last glance at Red and Misty before turning around and following the opposite direction from the duo, Ariana closely behind.

"Wait! You're not going anywhere!" Misty yelled at the Rocket members, running towards them. Just as the Gym Leader was going to follow them, both executives threw Smoke balls and escaped from their foes.

"Darn it… They got away!" Misty exclaimed, coughing between her words due to the smoke produced from the artifact that the executives used. "Red, we should get out of here quickly! There is almost no oxygen down here! We'll die if we don't get out!"

Nodding to the Gym Leader, the boy ran towards the stairs, Misty closely behind him. Before doing so, however, he returned both Pokémon to their respective Pokeballs. The duo reached the upper plant of the Underground Path pretty quickly.

"Whew… That was a close one." Misty commented, catching her breath. Red nodded to her in response. "Well, I guess we won't be seeing them for some time. Thank you so much, Red. I wouldn't have done this without you. I really mean it."

The boy's cheeks flushed a hue of pink once more as he nodded to the Gym Leader, Misty chuckling at his reaction.

"Anyway, let's give back the TM to its rightful owner and go to the Pokémon Center. Our Pokémon did a lot of hard work, not only in our battle, but here as well. They totally deserve a nice rest."

* * *

Red and Misty went to the robbed house and gave back the stolen TM, much to the man's joy. Still, they couldn't retrieve the money, and both the boy and the Gym Leader didn't feel as if they made a complete job. The man reassured them, though, that even if they didn't manage to get back the money, it was more than enough with the TM. Red and Misty then continued on to the Pokémon Center. Once they got inside of the Pokémon Center, the boy instantly began to search for Leaf. He managed to find her pretty quickly. The girl widened her eyes once she saw Red and Misty, clothes all worn up from their previous battle.

"What happened?!" Leaf asked, quickly approaching Red and Misty as she could.

"Well, we had an encounter with Team Rocket. Let's just say that they won't make trouble for more people around these parts." Misty stated, as she caught her breath.

Of course, Leaf wasn't one bit happy about this.

"Red, what did I tell you? You shouldn't have put yourself at such risks! Team Rocket could have easily injured or killed you! I know that innocent people like them suffer from goons like Team Rocket, but don't you care about your own safety?"

The boy didn't dare to say anything to his friend, instead looking down at the floor steadily. Seeing this, Misty quickly went to his rescue.

"If anyone is guilty here, that'll be me. If it weren't for me, Red wouldn't have fought Team Rocket, neither would he have gotten caught in this mess. It's really all my fault…"

Leaf glared at the Gym Leader for some time before calming down, as reproaching and protesting more wouldn't do anything.

"Sigh… It's fine. What's important is that neither of you are injured."

Both Red and Misty nodded in response, the boy still not looking the brunette girl in the eye.

"And you." Leaf said, pointing to Red. "I guess I can't help it… I just can't stay mad at you. I'm just so happy to see that you're okay. I was scared, you know…"

As she said this, the girl pulled her best friend in a deep hug, which he corresponded, his face as red as his name suggested. Misty smiled deeply at the genuinely touching moment between the two childhood friends. After letting go of each other, Red took both Pokeballs from his belt and gestured to Leaf.

"You should see this."

The boy released both Charmeleon and Ivysaur from their Pokeballs. Leaf squealed happily when she saw them.

"Oh, wow! You two evolved!" The girl said, hugging both Pokémon. Just as she did so though, the duo collapsed into the ground, surprising their trainers. Red returned both Pokémon to their respective Pokeballs and excused himself, hastily going to the healing station, leaving the two girls alone. Suddenly, Misty gestured for Leaf to come closer, a smirk forming in her mouth.

"You shouldn't let the big fish go away, if you know what I mean." The Gym Leader whispered in the brunette's ear, elbowing Leaf in the shoulder.

"What?" Leaf asked, confused. "What do you mean?"

Misty only sighed in response, not giving the other girl any clues to what she meant, even though it was pretty obvious.

"Soon, you'll learn. But for now, it's up to you to discover what I meant."

"Right…" Leaf said, still not having the slightest clue as to what Misty had just said.

The night passed, and both young trainers had to say their goodbyes to Misty for the time being. Truly, that day was a day that Red, Leaf or Misty would never forget, the memories of it still being fresh later on.

* * *

Time passed, and eventually the day where Leaf had to go to the doctor once more in order to take out the medical equipment she had to wear due to her injury came. The girl was overjoyed, as she didn't have to use that annoying cast anymore, as she herself said.

"Woohoo! I'm free!" Leaf said, waving her legs dramatically to prove her point. Red and the doctor sweatdropped at the girl's antics. "Thanks, doctor! I really appreciate what you did for me."

The doctor chuckled before replying to her.

"You're welcome, dear. Anyway, you two should be more careful on your journey. Who knows what may happen if you're unprepared and something like that happens again?"

"Yeah, we know… We'll be more careful from now on." Leaf said, bowing to the doctor in gratitude.

As the doctor said his goodbyes to the duo, he handed them a pamphlet on first aid and what to do on certain emergency situations. While Red did know some things about medical care, he didn't know everything, and the pamphlet was certainly useful. Before he could get a hang of it though, Leaf diligently began reading it, much to the surprise of the boy. After she had read most of it, she turned to her friend.

"We should practice this with our Pokémon!"

"I don't think so…" The boy said, snatching away the pamphlet from the brunette and putting it on his bag, much to her dismay.

"Whatever, you meanie." Leaf said, stucking her tongue out to her best friend. Red only rolled his eyes in response, ignoring the girl.

"Hey, why don't we go to that place you told me before?" Leaf asked Red, who seemed confused as to what she meant. "You know, the cape? You told me that it was quite pretty, and that If I ever went there, I wouldn't stop blabbering about it."

The boy made an "o" with his mouth, then gestured forward to the girl. As the duo walked towards their destination, Red showed Leaf to the places she hadn't been.

When they finally arrived, the girl seemed quite entranced by the beauty of the place, just as Red expected. The two of them strolled around and spent some time around the cape, eventually sitting nearby the pond.

"Wow, Red. This is beautiful. Really, really beautiful…" The girl commented, earning herself a nod from the boy. Both of them stood contemplating the view for a while, until Leaf suddenly stood up.

"Well, now that I'm all fit and ready to go into action, I'll show you what I meant the other day." Leaf said, pointing with a Pokeball to Red.

"Oh, really now?" Red asked, arching an eyebrow and smirking.

"Of course! Just look- This is a perfect place for a battle! The fresh air, the trees, the pond... We're connected with nature here and have all this space for us! It's just perfect!" Leaf said, waving her arms in the air.

"Wow. I didn't know you were a Pokémon Ranger." Red smirked, gesturing for Pikachu to get into battle position. The girl only chuckled in response.

"Oh, you're on _Reddy_!"

* * *

Next chapter, the first full battle between Red and Leaf! Our protagonists also go to Vermilion City for the upcoming party. You should expect it in two or three weeks! Also, I will adapt all changes made in this chapter to previous ones over this week, and for Valentine's day I will upload a side story chapter. You all know what to expect from it \ (•◡•) /

Notes on this chapter:

I put my own twist on the robbery. While it is not clarified in the games if the robbery takes place during the day or during the night, I imagine that it must have been during the night, while the events with you fighting the Rocket grunt happening in the morning. Also, instead of Red keeping the TM in the ending, he returns it to its rightful owner. Anyway, everything was edited in order to give more depth to the story.

Oran and Sitrus berries have the same effects as in the games, and like Potions, they instantly heal the Pokémon who eat them. However, unlike Potions, it is required to have a lot of them in order to fully heal a Pokémon.

If you read close enough, you may have noticed that Leaf's Ivysaur used 5 different moves, instead of the normal 4. Well, even if it doesn't know Vine Whip, an Ivysaur still has its vines and can use them, right? You will see cases like this many times in the story. Also, a fire type move affected Charmander and dealt quite some damage, even though Red's starter is Fire type himself. Weird, right? Well, there are two things to consider. First, Archer's Houndoom had a vast level difference over both Bulbasaur and Charmander, requiring that Red use both (and they even had to evolve in order to defeat Houndoom). And, unless the Pokémon has an ability that protects it from same type moves (For fire types, see Flash Fire) or the Pokedex entry of said Pokémon says so (for example, Quilava can resist any kind of fire type moves, or so it Pokedex entry says) they will all be damaged by same type moves, and they might deal quite some damage if the level difference between the two Pokémon is big.

Here we discover a trait of Red's for the first time- Even though he may always seem analytical to situations, which is on most occasions contrary to Blue and Leaf, when he is forced into a corner or has different ways of thinking, he can be reckless, even more so than them. Especially when innocent people and evil organizations such as Team Rocket are involved. Going to live to Mt. Silver for example, its reckless. No matter if you're the best trainer in all of Kanto and Johto. Trying to take just a Charmander against four Rocket members, including two executives, is reckless too. If Leaf didn't lend him her Bulbasaur (Now Ivysaur) and if things didn't go the way they went, he and Misty could have suffered great damage. Leaf is right to worry. She's scared after what had happened to her at Mt. Moon and even more scared that something like that may happen to someone close. He also tends to get ahead of himself sometimes, as seen in the battle against Archer. Oh, and Red also happens to be a good counselor!

About Ariana and Archer… In this story they're younger, as the Johto games in which they appear are set 3 years after R/G/B/Y/FR/LG, and as so, have slightly different personalities and are more "relaxed". The climax of the events in this story is what changes their view on things, and makes them the way they are in Johto. The other two commanders will appear as well, later. And no, they won't make the motto again next time. It's just when they're introducing themselves. It was more of a parody than anything.

Misty almost broke the 4th wall! Almost… Anyway, I decided to add Psyduck and Wooper to her team as references to the anime and her team in the 2nd gen games.

And that's it! I hope you enjoyed as always. See you next time!


End file.
